Coincidence
by Torn Apart Paper Dinosaur
Summary: Ziva and McGee check up on a marine who recently went into witness protection, only to find him dead. The case gets blown wide open when the top suspect is the kid Gibbs and Tony found at the gas station.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Alright so as you can tell this is a new story. Shocker I know, you may have noticed that I tend to start a story...and kind of stray...I'M SORRY! But this story, as well as my others, at total of too many to count, will get finished. Sooner or later. Anywho, anough with this note, on to the story. Oh yeah, and for all the people who were disappointed in Who Are You? for Alex not mingaling with the crossover part. Look no further, the first chapter to this story. And the crossover will only grow as time goes on. So I will be greedy and say that I want a few reviews, how this story is going, how long should I keep the chapters, any suggestions, anything really. A huge thanks to my beta: DarkRook! This would be filled with grammar errors without him. Finally on to the story.

* * *

><p>There was little traffic that night, strange considering it was only ten o'clock. The mid-November wind was biting and frosty; nobody was outdoors. The full moon was shining behind barren tree branches and most of the lights in the neighborhood had been extinguished. However, the lone gas station was an exception. The bright neon signs posted on the outside windows contrasted with the night. One specific "open" sign kept blinking. Going on and off, as if it were broken.<p>

Everything was silent; the only noise was a few crickets off in the distance, making their own music. A truck pulled up into the parking lot. It was an older Ford design, but was in good shape for its age. The glossy green paint only had a few scratches, and there were few instances of rust.

The driver parked the car at a pump and got out. His hood was up, his face concealed in shadows. He filled the truck, the sound of metal against metal breaking the silence, echoing into the night. Putting back the pump, he held his hands up to the small light produced from the machine.

His hands were stained in blood and dirt. Looking down at his attire, he saw that his gray sweatshirt also had blood on it. Taking his hands, he wiped the evidence of blood off on his pants. Red now smeared both his hands and jeans.

Turning around he pulled out a wallet and walked into the store.

The teller was reading a newspaper when the door bell chimed; few people ever visited the gas station, especially at night. He glanced up to see a person who stood at about 5'7". His hood hid his face, but the thing that stood out to teller was the blood. All over him.

The teller took a deep breath as the stranger walked in the store, heading straight towards the back. His first thought was that if this person pulled a gun on him, he would be done for. He wouldn't see his family again, who was quietly sleeping at home while he worked. Expecting him to be home not much later.

If he died, he wouldn't be home at all.

He struggled to control his breathing as the person walked up with a bottle, but made no move to set it on the counter. He pulled money from his wallet, and set that on the counter instead. And as if nothing had happened, he turned and walked out the door. The clang of the bell heralded his departure.

The teller watched as the figure walked past the truck, and went out of sight. He glanced at the counter and saw a hundred dollar bill, smooth and crisp. He yanked out his phone, and dialed a number, all the while staring at the truck that had not moved.

* * *

><p>The lights were low in the N.C.I.S. building. Most of the agents went home, but there were a few exceptions. One of the cubicles had three people in it.<p>

At the far desk in the cubicle was a pudgy man with a simple brown hair cut. He was wearing a suit, and typing on computer. At the desk beside him was another male. He had nice casual clothes on and he was texting on his phone. The desk opposite to his was where a woman sat. Her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she was wearing a red sweater. She was organizing something.

The guy who was texting shut his phone and set it on his desk. "Where's Gibbs at?"

The woman shrugged. "Perhaps he went home."

"Don't joke like that, Ziva. He wouldn't leave this early."

Ziva sighed and nodded her head. "I was just making a suggestion."

"You know she's right, Tony," the other man said as he typed on his computer. "He could have walked off. After all, we just finished a hard case."

"Fine, McGee, you wanna be like that? How about we place a bet." Tony smirked.

Ziva shook her head. "You guys do whatever you want, I am not dealing with this right now."

"Game on," McGee said and pulled out ten bucks. He set it on his desk, and Tony did the same.

"So, if Gibbs didn't leave, I get twenty bucks. But if he did, which is highly unlike Gibbs, then you get twenty bucks," Tony told him as he leaned up against a filing cabinet.

They waited, and waited, much to Tony's disapproval. Tony swung around in his chair, staring at the ceiling, bored.

"Where is Gibbs? He should have been here by now," Tony asked, to no one in particular.

"Maybe he did leave," Ziva said as she moved more papers around.

"Very funny, Ziva, now let's be serious here. O.K., never mind, if he's not here in five minutes then I'm leaving."

Five minutes passed without incident, and no Gibbs. Tony looked at his watch and saw that it was ten twenty five. He ran his hand through his hair and stood up.

"Well I'm leaving." He threw on his coat, and was about to make his leave when a smack on the back of the head stopped him. He winced, knowing exactly who it was.

"Hi-ya boss. Where have you been?"

"Talking to the director to try and get us off of this next case," an older man with gray hair said as he walked over to the only desk not occupied.

"Gibbs, isn't it too early to get a new case?" Ziva said as she looked over at him. "We just finished a huge murder investigation."

"I know, Ziva, that's why I spent the last half an hour in Vance's office trying to get him to take this case back."

"What type of case is it?" McGee asked, his typing halting momentarily.

"A pointless one," Gibbs told him.

"Let me take it boss, it won't be that bad," Tony said with a smirk on his face. He caught the file that Gibbs chucked at him. Opened it, briefly glanced at it, then tossed it on Ziva's desk. "Here Ziva, this case is perfect for you."

"What do you mean?" she asked as she opened it and read it. She paused briefly, "What does a 'follow up meeting' mean?"

"Not mine," McGee said as he went back to his computer.

Tony walked over towards McGee's desk and snatched the money off of it. He pocketed it and ignored McGee's glare as he listened to Gibbs explain what the case meant.

"When a Marine goes into witness protection, we have to check up on them from time to time. And since we missed the last visit, this one is a week long."

Ziva looked at him, and threw the file across the room so it hit Tony on the head. "There you are Tony, you requested it, did you not?"

"Funny, Ziva," he smiled at her before slamming the file on McGee's desk. "McDork, as your senior field agent I order you to take this case."

"What? No fair. You should take it as seeing you're the senior field agent."

Gibbs's phone started to ring. "I don't care who takes it, just stop fighting and decide." He opened the phone and spoke into it, "Gibbs...," his face went very serious. "Alright, I'll be there," he hung up the phone. Grabbing his coat he stalked off to the elevator.

"Change of plans," he said to his team, who was staring at him. "Tony, with me," he waved his hand as he pushed the down button, and Tony smirked as he ran over. "McGee and Ziva, go check out that Marine."

He barely heard a head smack against a desk as the elevator doors shut behind them.

* * *

><p>The air was stale as the Tony stepped out of the car. He glanced at Gibbs who pointed over towards the street. Tony squinted as and he saw a person sitting there on the curb. He nodded and made his way over towards the street while Gibbs went into the store.<p>

Tony zipped up his jacket; the breeze was beginning to make him shiver. He walked up to the person and sat down. "Cold out, huh?"

The guy didn't answer; in fact, he didn't even look as though he had registered Tony was there. Tony sighed as the man took another drink of whatever he was drinking. "What are you doing?" The person didn't answer "Hey, what's your name?"

He just shrugged, and Tony frowned. So that's how he was going to be. He glanced at him, and sized him up. 'I could take him, he's a shorty anyway,' Tony thought.

"What are you drinking?" Tony asked, and a second later the bottle was shoved in his hands. He tried to read the label but there wasn't enough light. So he tilted his head back and chugged.

He started to hack and cough. It was whisky, straight up too. His throat was burning as he struggled to catch his breath. The person took the bottle from him. He swung his head back, and the hood fell off of his face. He drank for a few seconds before he pulled back. He ran his hand through his blond mangled hair.

Tony looked at him in shock. This was a kid, no older than himself. He also noticed the blood in his hair. Tony froze, and squinted through the night. He saw blood on his sweatshirt, and some on his face. This kid actually killed someone?

He was about to arrest him, when the kid just stood up and started to walk towards his truck. Tony jumped up and followed him. He was trailing behind a ways before he saw Gibbs inside. Gibbs nodded his head once.

He was about to take the kid down, when the shorty dropped the glass bottle. It shattered all over the concrete the pieces glistening in the dull light. And the kid took off.

All hell broke loose.

* * *

><p>Ziva and McGee walked up the driveway. The house was a simple two story and belonged to the Marine. The Marine was Colonel Lawson. He and his daughter went into witness protection because while he was overseas he ran into a drug smuggling ring and got caught in the middle of it. Fortunately, he was saved by his comrades, but that didn't change the fact that people would be after him. So after he got discharged, he went into protection to save himself and his daughter from any harm. They got new names and moved across the country. For the past year, they've been living well.<p>

"McGee, knock on the door," Ziva told him as she looked at a crow in the tree.

McGee sighed and knocked on the door. The noise scared the bird, and it swooped down onto something. Ziva watched it, and looked at the thing that the bird had perched on. She froze as she saw an arm.

"Ziva, he's not here," McGee said as he turned around and watched Ziva pull her gun out. He did the same as she titled her head and started to walk forward. They walked cautiously towards the backyard. They peered over the garbage can, and laying on the ground was a child.

She was wearing a dress, covered in a combination of grass and blood stains. The blood was pooling around her, coming from her stomach area. Ziva did a quick sweeping motion, making sure no one was there. The backyard was empty as far as she could tell.

McGee shifted his head towards the house and Ziva nodded at the silent order. They made their way towards the front door. Ziva stepped back, her gun ready, while McGee kicked the door in.

The door broke under the pressure, the small wooden pieces scattering across the floor. They ignored them and walked into the house. McGee swept the living room, while Ziva went into the kitchen. Ziva came out of the kitchen to find McGee standing over something. She glanced around and walked towards him.

McGee made room for her. She loomed over the body. It was a male, the height could not be identified. But he had blood around his chest, and some smeared on his face. She moved so she could see him better, then looked up towards McGee.

He nodded, while glancing at the body. She sighed and shook her head. "Looks like our Marine was home this whole time."


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I was not intending for the update process to be this long. Though it usually is, sorry. But I do have the next chapter done, I will post that beginning of next week. And I have a request to all the wonderful readers out there: every review I get, will add a 100 words to chapter: 4. And I apologize for anyone who favorited, or added an alert, thank you. Normally I thank every single thing, but I was flooded with them, so here is a obvious late thank you. Also thank you to those who reviewed without a pin-name. A huge thanks to my beta: DarkRook! This would be filled with grammar errors without him. :)

* * *

><p>Tony was standing in the path of a truck. Gun out and ready to fire, he stared at the person in the driver's seat, who glared right back at him. It was that blond kid who drank half a bottle of whisky. He flinched as soon as he saw Gibbs, and managed to start the truck before Tony could stop him.<p>

Gibbs caught up not too much later and stood next to the driver's door, his gun drawn and pointed at the kid. Everyone was still for the next few moments, the cold air making their breath come out in white plumes.

Tony's cell went off, the ringing shattering the silence. He pulled it out of his pocket, realizing that it was his work and not his personal phone. "Hey, Ziva. I'm a little busy right now; this better be important," Tony said as he shifted his feet. He held his gun tightly in his right hand, aimed at the kid in the driver's seat.

"_It is important, probably more so than what you're doing. Our colonel's dead_," Ziva's voice said through the other end of the phone.

"Are you sure?" Tony asked as he looked at the kid in the truck, who shifted in his seat. Tony stepped forward, but Gibbs already had it handled.

"Put your hands on the steering wheel then step out slowly."

"_Yes, I am quite sure. He and his daughter are not breathing. How much more proof do you need?" _

The kid did exactly what Gibbs asked, his hands raised in the air. His shoes touched the cement. Gibbs grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. He glared at Gibbs, but Gibbs did nothing to acknowledge it.

Gibbs beckoned for Tony to come over. Tony did so. "Search him," Gibbs said and he took Tony's gun.

"_Tony, have you found anything wherever you and Gibbs are?"_

"Yes," Tony said as he searched the boy. He was not finding anything. That was strange. Didn't kids normally have phones on them, or some cash?

His fingers brushed against something in one of the kid's pockets. 'Here we go,' he thought.

As he pulled out the wallet, he felt something else brush against his fingers. Tony froze, and slowly slid the wallet out. After handing the wallet to Gibbs, he briefly eyed the kid before grabbing the hem of his bloody sweatshirt.

He pulled it up, careful to not get any blood on his hands and his breathing faltered at what he found.

"Uh, Ziva, how about you ask around? And call Ducky while you're at it. Kay, bye," Tony said in a rush, not giving Ziva a chance to respond. Tony closed his phone and pocketed. He glanced at Gibbs.

"Who called you here?"

"A friend. Why?" Gibbs asked.

Tony sighed and grabbed the item under the boy's sweatshirt. "You can thank him for helping us solve this murder," Tony said as he produced a gun. It was covered in blood.

* * *

><p>Ziva sighed angrily and closed her phone.<p>

"What did he say?"

Ziva turned her attention to McGee, who had asked the question. She shook her head and started to dial Ducky. "He wants us to ask around, figure out if anyone saw what happened as well as get Ducky down here."

Ziva silently waited for Ducky to pick up. The ringing buzzed in her ear, annoying as it was she could think of far more irritating things.

"_Ducky speaking_."

"This is Ziva, Ducky," Ziva said as she shifted her feet.

_"Ah, Miss David. How are you?"_

Ziva smiled slightly, it was just like Ducky to ask others if they were alright. "I am fine. However we may need you for the night, have a few dead bodies up here. Do you think you and Palmer can make it?"

"_Certainly, we will be there right away. See you soon Ziva." _He hung up the phone. Ziva stared at it and wondered if the abrupt hang ups were going to be an everyday occurrence now. At the moment it was aggravating her to no end.

* * *

><p>Ducky and Palmer arrived in no time at all. Ziva pointed him in the direction of the backyard, where the girl was located.<p>

"It seems more and more youths are dying nowadays, a real shame it is," Ducky said as he got on one knee to examine her.

"Hey, Ziva, how many bodies are there?" Palmer asked as he examined at the ground. He pulled out a flashlight and shined it on the concrete.

"Two. Why?" Ziva moved closer and Ducky did the same.

"Well, it looks like there is more blood. A lot of blood. None of it seems to belong to the girl."

The flashlight, although dim, illuminated the puddles of blood. They were several paces away from the girl and alarmingly larger than the puddles pooling around her body.

"So there were other injured?" McGee guessed.

Ducky shook his head. "No, this is far too much blood to be an injury. If it was, they would have been in quite a bit of pain. The reasonable answer, I would say, is that your person got out of here only to die shortly after."

"So how many people were killed and where are the bodies?" Ziva asked as she glanced at McGee. She couldn't have missed one, or even two, badly injured people walking away, which meant they escaped before she and the rest of her team arrived.

"We would need blood samples for that one," Palmer answered. "But my guess would be at least two people from the amount of blood present."

"When did they die?" Ziva asked Ducky, maybe it would give them leeway into the case.

Ducky pierced the girl's liver with his thermometer. "This child died not much longer than three hours ago. It seems as though your killer shot her and then continued on. Did you say there was another body?"

McGee nodded and led the way into the house. "Mr. Palmer," Ducky said to his colleague. "I want you to collect the blood samples and make sure the body gets back safely. I will see you first thing tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, Doctor Mallard, I won't be late."

"Be sure to see to that." Ducky nodded towards him and continued into the house where Ziva and McGee were waiting.

With the lights on Ducky could easily see the body, as well as a pool of blood a short distance away from the body. "Well, let's have a look at you, shall we?"

Ducky examined the body and confirmed that he had died not long after the girl did. He looked at the dead man's face with an odd expression. Streams of blood had run off and dripped down from his face; the same thing had happened with his chest.

"It seems as though colonel got shot in the chest. Someone grabbed his face while he was bleeding out though. It is confusing to say the least."

"Alright. McGee and I are going to find some witnesses. Can you wrap it up here?" Ziva asked.

"Yes, go on and do what you need to do, I will be fine."

* * *

><p>"We just going to play the waiting game. Or, actually, get a confession," Tony told Gibbs before continuing, "I have no clue who this kid is but he can't deny that he killed those people. I mean he had a gun, and just look at him he's covered in blood. Not to mention that he had the colonel's truck in his custody."<p>

Gibbs and Tony were in the interrogations media room. They had driven back while the boy sat in the back, staring out the window in silence. They finally got here and asked him his name, but he wouldn't answer.

And here they were, watching the kid on the other side of the non-reflective glass. He kept staring at the table. They had told him to take his hood off and had turned the bright lights on so they could easily commit him to memory. Not only did he have dried blood on his clothes and hands, but his blond hair was also crusted with blood.  
>"We'll wait until he cracks, or until we get more information from Ziva," Gibbs said. "But I don't want to accuse him of anything. He may have done it or he may have gotten caught in the crossfire. Either way, we want hard evidence, so he stays here for the time being." He walked towards the door.<p>

"Where you going, Boss?" Tony asked as he remained where he was, glancing between Gibbs and the kid.

"Talk to Abby," he said briefly, before closing the door. Tony sighed and stared at the kid, only to jump when the door opened again.

"Give the kid a new outfit and collect the ones he's wearing for evidence," Gibbs said with his head poked through the door. The door closed again and he vanished from sight.

Tony grumbled and was about to grab the kid and escort him to the nearest bathroom when his phone went off.

* * *

><p>"Thank you," McGee said to Mrs. Kin, the next door neighbour, as they walked out the door.<p>

"Not a problem. I hope that information helps you," she said. The door closed.

Ziva and McGee headed down the street a few houses away from 's. Once they left the colonel's house they had turned up at the neighbours' houses to see if they had anything that would help them. They had found out from Mrs. Kin that less than two hours ago she heard gunshots. And when she glanced out the window she saw a familiar figure run away from the scene. She couldn't remember who it was until Ziva asked her if anyone new had come into the neighbourhood.

That was when she remembered that a college boy had moved in a few weeks ago, and that he was very kind and friendly. Within the first week of his arrival he was babysitting Mr. Lawson's daughter, Becky. When asked why she didn't contact the police she said she was afraid to. A few minutes after the boy had left, some guys came and took away bodies. Once she saw that, she had locked her door and retreated to the basement, only to come out when McGee had knocked on the door stating that they were N.C.I.S. and needed to question her on anything that happened in the past few days.

She had pointed them in the direction of a blue house, a single story with dead flowers by the stairs. Currently, Ziva and McGee were standing in front of it.

McGee noticed the lone flower pot, holding dead flowers just like she had described, on the ground near the stairs. He understood why a young man in college didn't have time to keep flowers alive when his primary concern would probably be making himself dinner. It was especially necessary if he was living alone.

He and Ziva slid their guns out as a precautionary measure. After all, this kid was seen fleeing the crime scene. Ziva knocked on the door, and once again there was no answer. She sighed and shot the handle. The door swung open and banged against the side of the wall.

The foyer led into a huge living room, which also held a small kitchenette. Off of that was a hallway. McGee headed farther into the house, towards the kitchen, observing that the place was absent of clutter. Ziva made her way towards the adjoining hallway.

She found herself in front of two doors. With her gun raised, she opened one, finding a bathroom. Turning to the other, she tried opening it, but it was locked. She sighed, brought her gun up, and shot the lock. Again.

Behind the locked door, there was nothing but an office. She had been expecting something strange, like a torture chamber, or at least a simple bedroom. Not something so innocuous. Walking into the large room, she noticed a glass desk positioned on the far side of the place, situated away from the bay window, which had the blinds drawn over them, and blocking out the view of the non-existent backyard.

Ziva walked over to the desk and sat in the small folding chair. The desk's translucent surface was cluttered, with five books and dozens of random papers strewn about it. Ziva guessed that this college student had some tests coming up.

McGee appeared in the doorway and let out a breath of relief when he saw Ziva sitting at the desk. "I thought something bad had happened, or good depending on how you look at things."

Ziva raised an eyebrow as she scanned the rest of the room. There was a wall-to-wall book case filled with various books, both fiction and non-fiction, as well as textbooks for school. There was also a small end-table next to the door. A lamp and a chess set were set on it.

"Alright, so what would the good or bad situation be?"

"The good being you caught the person who ran off by shooting him. The bad being you found the person when you were off guard and he shot you. So you see my wariness here."

"The door was locked."

McGee nodded and walked into the office, scanning the bookcase. He picked up a book and smiled. "At least someone likes my books." McGee held up a book, the cover reading _Deep Six*. _"He has the whole series."

"Yes, McGee, your book is popular with the criminals we work with everyday. Congratulations," Ziva smirked as she said this, then glanced down at all the papers scattered about the desk. "Looks like our college kid was busy. What did you find in the living room and kitchen?"

"Nothing much, stuff any normal college kid would have. Except for maybe the flat screen. Other than that there was a simple couch, scraped coffee table, and small kitchen with ramen packets filling the cupboards. Have you found anything interesting in here?"

"Not much to see here," she said as she ran her hands underneath the desk. She stopped when she felt something. She pulled on a latch, and a smooth surface was drawn out from underneath the desk alongside her hand. On the surface was an expensive looking laptop. She glanced at McGee, who came over and opened the laptop. In the meantime, she examined the books that filled the other side of the room. They were mostly school book, or books on theories and equations.

She saw a small glint off to the side of the bookcase. Getting up, she surrendered the uncomfortable chair to Tim while trying to determine what would shine like that. Once she got to the other side of the room, she wasn't really surprised by what she saw.

It was a black safe with a complicated locking mechanism attached to it. She frowned and turned back to McGee to see how he was doing with the computer's password.

"Damn," McGee mumbled as he sat in the cheap chair and stared at the computer screen. Ziva came up behind him, worried. McGee rarely cursed; if he did it meant there was a serious problem. And it should not have been hard to break into a kid's computer. After all, McGee was their computer techie right next to Abby.

"It is beyond locked," he told her.

"What does that mean?" Ziva was confused; computers were not her thing. Sure, she could do the basics, but that was about it.

"It means that there is a password on here, which is fine. I could probably crack it in an hour or so. But if you put in the wrong password, like I just did, it shuts down for an hour, which is why the screen is black. I have never heard of any computer turning itself off after the first wrong entry; on high-tech computers it does so after about a dozen times. But even then it's a risk for the owner, one wrong mistake and you are without a computer for a good hour. And the time only rises from there," he explained, staring at the blank screen.

"Well, I found a pretty impressive safe over in the corner. Want to call Tony to see how they're doing with the suspect?"

"Why not? It looks like we're done here."

Ziva nodded her head and took her phone out, dialing Tony's work phone.

"_Yeah?_" Tony's voice answered.

"Hi, Tony, wanted to see if you caught the perpetrator."

"_Not really sure on that one; he's not talking. But so far the evidence is against him. Why?"_

"Does he look like a college kid?" Ziva asked, knowing if she got a yes than they would be so much closer to completing this case.

"_How did you know?_"

"Lucky guess. No, we asked around and one of the ladies on the block said she saw a boy run from the scene. He just so happens to be the neighborhood babysitter; he attends a nearby college and lives a few doors down. I don't know how more accurate you want this case to be."

"_Right. Well, did you check out the house? Anything strange?_"

"Everything seems pretty normal, except that he has a few expensive items. Let me put you on speaker." Setting the phone down on a book perched on the edge of the desk, she pressed a button on its side.

"Hi Tony," McGee said as he stared at the portable computer with hatred.

"_Alright, so tell me what you guys found."_

"A flat screen television in the living room seems to be the only high priced item in the house. Well, except this laptop of course," McGee said.

"_Probably loaded. McGee decode that laptop and see if you can find me anything useful, fast. And Ziva, what did you find?_"

Before Ziva spoke up, McGee interrupted, "Tony, this computer is impossible to get in without the proper equipment. And even then I might need Abby to help me."

"_Fine, you are now demoted back to probie, McGeek_. _Now, Ziva, did you find anything useful?_"

"Not much, just an office as big as the living room. It has a safe too, but one look at it says it needs equipment, same as the laptop," she said to the phone before turning to McGee. "Was there an extra door somewhere in the kitchen?"

McGee shook his head, "No, just a small kitchenette, why?"

Ziva thought a second before answering. "There is no bedroom."

_"Well, he is a college kid, maybe he crashes on his couch? Have you guys found anything else important?"_

"Tony has a point about the couch," McGee told her.

She nodded. "Nothing much, the office is quite the sight for a college kid. Oh, wait, he has copies of Tim's books."

_"He what? Perfect," _Tony grumbled. _"I'll watch out for Abby. Probie, you write any more books we don't know about?"_

"No." McGee had a slight frown on his face.

_"Great. You guys wrap it up, bring the laptop and the safe, as well as anything else lying around that looks important."_ Tony was silent for a minute before speaking up again._ "Oh, and grab all of Probie's books." _And then he hung up.

McGee's frowned deepened. "I'll get these papers, the laptop, and my books. You grab the safe; I'll meet you in the car."

* * *

><p>AN: Thank you for reading! Please drop a review, I want to make a long chapter 4, and I want to know how this story is going.<p>

*Deep Six: I honestly could not resist. It was a perfect place to tie a few loose strongs, plus it was a huge book shelf. It had various books on it, McGees novel's just happened to be a few of them.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Updating again. Thank you guys, and girls, for so many reviews! As of now chapter four is close to being done, a few more hundred words. But I will take the reviews from this chapter as well as the forth, when it is posted, to give me an approximate range of words for chapter five. All of your reviews have given me motivation to write, also they make me smile! :)

My regards to, DarkRook, who edited this story.

* * *

><p>"What's taking you so long, kid?" Tony asked as he glanced in the mirror and fixed his hair. He was now in the bathroom with the boy. The kid was changing in one of the stalls and in Tony's opinion, he was taking far too long.<p>

Inside the stall, Alex stood in sweats and a black, long-sleeved, Kevlar shirt. It was a good thing he had chosen to wear it today of all days; he had been caught off guard and was now supporting multiple bruises underneath the fabric. A bullet had caught him in the lung, probably bruising a rib or two, but he was alive. He also had a few bullets in his chest. The bullets were stuck in the Kevlar, and would have to stay there for the time being.

He sighed and threw on the sweatshirt Tony had given him. He felt a small need to take a shower, with the blood all over him and such. He popped open the stall and saw Tony cleaning his teeth out with a toothpick.

Tony took Alex's ruined clothes from him and pointed to the sink. "Since we have these," Tony held up the clothes, "You can wash your hands and rinse your hair out."

Alex nodded, grateful that the faucet would be able to get rid of the smell and the way the dried blood clung to his skin. He hated the way it felt up in his hair, so without further ado he rinsed everything down the drain.

* * *

><p>The music blared in the basement of HQ. Ziva and McGee got off the elevator, following Gibbs. The automatic door slid open; the music increased in volume with every step they took. Ziva and McGee set the computer and safe downwhile Gibbs walked over to the stereo and lowered the music's volume.<p>

Abby turned around from her computer to glare at whoever had just turned down her music, but her glare quickly changed to a squint. Her smile was huge as Gibbs walked over to her. "Thanks, Gibbs," Abby exclaimed as he handed her a Caf-Pow.

"No problem, Abby. You got anything?"

She frowned as she sipped on her caffeinated drink. She spun back around to the computer and typed something in. Everyone crowded around the computer as a few pictures popped up on the big screen.

"Well, I am still waiting on those clothes, and the gun you gave me is taking forever to scan. The chamber has been loaded and unloaded multiple times, but has been kept in good condition. However, there are four bullets missing from the gun. I'll have to look up the specific make; I can't think of it off of the top of my head."

"What does the gun look like?" Ziva asked.

Abby held it up. It looked like the simple handgun their team has been issued. Ziva took it and held it in her hands; she was surprised by it's weight. It had a silencer, yet somehow it wasn't heavier than the one she had. She made sure the safety was on before aiming at the floor. She pulled the trigger and nothing happened.

"Could it be jammed?" Gibbs asked.

Ziva shook her head. "No, if it was jammed then the trigger would have at least moved. When I do it..." She tried to shoot it again, with the same result. "This gun is handmade, the trigger is fingerprint sensitive, and it has no code number on the back." She returned it to Abby.

"Alright, keep at it Abby. Tony should be here soon. McGee, help Abby with the stuff you guys found. Ziva, you're with me."

* * *

><p>"So this is him, huh?"<p>

"Yep, found him at the gas station I was called to."

"If this boy is the kid from the scene, which right now appears to be the case, then he killed the colonel, along with his daughter. And maybe more," Ziva said.

"More?"

Ziva nodded. "Palmer found extra blood samples at the house. They suspect at least two more bodies."

They were on the other side of a glass pane, watching Alex. Nothing had changed since the last time Gibbs had been here. Alex still had a blank stare, only this time it was directed at his hands. Gibbs also noticed that he had been cleaned up and was now wearing the over-sized clothes Tony had given him. The blood on his hands and hair had been washed away.

Overall his hunched form looked innocent, but his eyes told a different story. And the fact that he hadn't spoken one word to them made him look like the criminal.

"I'll go talk to Ducky later."

"Are we planning on staying up all night, playing the silent game?" Ziva asked as she stared at Alex.

"It looks like our best bet; he hasn't talked yet. I'm shocked he hasn't passed out."

Ziva frowned. "Why would he pass out?"

"According to Tony, he was drowning himself with half a bottle of whiskey by the time we got there."

"He is a college student. Don't they normally do things like that?"

"All the time. But they usually they have friends or company with them."

"I see. Do we know his name?"

Gibbs pulled out a wallet and opened it. "The wallet we found on him seems to be his own, though it's hard to be certain. He doesn't appear to have a driver's license." The wallet had a few credit cards, a five dollar bill, and various pieces of paper crammed into it. Gibbs extracted a pink paper and unfolded it. It looked like a bad scanning job; in the middle of the paper were online class names such as Human Geography, Psychology, English 205, and Applied Mathematics. Next to all the classes were grades, ranging from B's to A's.

"It looks like a report card," Ziva said, examining the classes and grades that went with them.

"Yeah, and look here," Gibbs pointed towards the top, where the name Crown College was in bold. Under that was the name they were looking for.

* * *

><p>"How's it going, guys?" Tony asked as he stepped into Abby's lab, a bag with the kid's clothes in his arms. He set the bag of clothes on a table, next to where McGee was working on hacking into the kid's computer. Abby was next to him, chipping away at the safe. From Tony's perspective, it didn't look like they were getting anywhere.<br>"Oh, Tony, set the clothes over there." Abby flicked on a flame to open the safe.

"This is impossible," McGee grumbled as he sat in a chair before two large computers. The kid's laptop was off to the side. "I want to go ask the kid how he did it."

"Wow, didn't know that you, the McGeek, couldn't hack a computer. That just goes to prove that the kid's hiding something, right?"

"This is complicated stuff. I can't even hack into his hard drive. Everytime I even get close to it, it shuts down _my computer, _then turns itself off. It has already fried one of my chips. I want to find out who he hired to set this up, and why he would need this much protection."

"McGee's right, Tony, I let my baby try and it almost killed it. That computer is serious business," Abby said as she slowly fried the metal off the lock.

"Well, we need some evidence. Abby, how's that safe going?"

"This, my friend, is beyond a bank safe**. **Not only does it need a key and a code, but a fingerprint is also required access its contents. This safe isn't for any ordinary person."

"All the more reason to bust it open and find out what he's hiding. We have so little on him; the only piece of evidence we can use against him is all the blood and the fact that he reads Probie's books," Tony said as he leaned over McGee to see how much progress he was making on the computer.

Abby stopped doing her work on the safe to stare at McGee. "Please don't tell me you wrote another book about one of us getting killed off."

"You know, Abby, it wasn't like that. You're safe. And no, I haven't written anything in quite a while." McGee typed something on one of his computers. He sighed when both computers made a noise, and went black.

"Let's hope this killer isn't a psychopath like all the others," Abby said as she went back to burning the metal.

"You and me both," Tony agreed and walked over to Abby's main computer. It was in the middle of scanning something. "What's this, the gun?"

"In a way," Abby turned the dull flame off and walked over to the computer. She started typing as she talked. "Ziva found out the gun had to be handmade and also discovered the trigger was finger sensitive." She grabbed her Caf-Pow, and drank it.

"Meaning..." Tony trailed off. "That he is the only one who can use it?"

Abby smiled, "Right on, Tony. So instead of looking for who the gun itself is registered too, I took the fingerprint off of it and should get a reading here in a few minutes."

Tony nodded. "Good job, Abby. Keep up the good work. Probie, you need to step it up some."

"Tony, I am doing the best I can. This computer is something we need here."

"I'll be sure to get on that," Tony said as he turned around. He was going to go see how Ziva and Gibbs were doing on the kid, when a beeping sound halted him in his tracks.

Everyone lifted their heads and looked towards the source of the noise. The scan was complete. Abby walked over and typed something in; an image popped up on the screen.

"Uhh, Abby," Tony asked as he stared at the screen. "Are you sure you scanned the right gun?"

"Yes, it was the gun you gave me, I just... it should have been right."

McGee snapped his fingers. When the other two in the room looked at him, he elaborated. "Ziva tried to fire the gun; that's why her fingerprints are showing up."

"That's right, so it wasn't your fault, Abby. The program just got messed up," Tony said, smiling.

Abby shook her head, "Then your prints would be on there, as well as Gibbs's and mine. The thing is, I eliminated our prints off the data base. So it should have taken an accurate read..."

"So what does that mean? Why did it screw up?" Tony asked as he glanced at the photo of Ziva, then back to forensic scientist.

"I have no clue." Abby shook her head.

* * *

><p>Gibbs stared across the table at Alex, who did the same. Ziva was on the other side of the glass, watching the boy's reactions. The boy turned out to be 'Tom Gerald', a twenty year old who attended Crown College. That was all the information they had on him so far.<p>

"So, Tom," Gibbs nodded towards Alex, who was not surprised in the least. They did have his wallet, after all. Who knew what he had left in there? "We have information from an eyewitness. They said you were running away from Mr. Lawson's house after multiple gunshots were fired. Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. What will it be, Tom? All you have to do is tell the truth."

Alex eyed Gibbs, he didn't know what they had found. The alcohol he had downed was finally buzzing through his veins, making it hard to think clearly. He did admit that drinking hadn't been his best move. At the time it had seemed to be the only thing that could calm him down. Well, there was nothing he could do about it now. Therefore, he said the first thing that came to mind.

"They deserved to die."

* * *

><p>AN: Thank you for reading! Please drop a review, I want to make a long chapter 5, and I want to know how this story is going. And I apologize for the lack of Alex, he will be coming soon, I promise.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Alright, just as I promised chapter: 5! Wow, this story is picking up, rather slowly but still none-the-less. I want to apologize before hand, I may or may not be able to update next Sunday. Finals are coming up, and my lack of writting this whole past week has hurt me horribly. Hopefully though I will be able to post shortly into winter break. Thank you for understanding, and towards all the reviews I have gotten towards chapter: 4. Chapter: 5 is now supposed to, and will be, 1,200 words. Though I will take the reviews from this one and add it on top of that. However I do feel bad for bribing you wonderful readers with the amount of words in exchange for reviews. I just want to know how this story is progressing. Thank you all again, and sorry to all those who reviewed and did not get a reply back. If you have an account and did not receve a reply, please notify me.

My regards to, DarkRook, who edited this story. :)

* * *

><p>Gibbs sighed as he leaned back in his chair. It had been over 24 hours since the last time any of them had slept. He and his team had been working around the clock, desperately trying to get something out of Tom. They hadn't been successful; he had remained silent all night. Something about the kid irked Gibbs, it wasn't just the fact that he had been dead serious when he had said "They deserved to die."<p>

It made him wonder if this kid actually did it, if he could actually kill multiple people in cold blood and pass it off as okay. Gibbs didn't want to believe a supposedly nice college boy could murder people in such a way, but the facts were slowly, but surely, building up.

Even after having Tony and Ziva interrogate the kid with him, switching back and forth between observing and verbally attacking, they got nowhere. So when Tom didn't crack, they all finally took a break except for Ziva, who decided to stay.

Gibbs had then ordered Tony to talk to Ducky to find out any new information about the bodies. Once Tony was done with that, he was told to go to the nearest coffee shop and get coffee for the whole team, including another Caf-Pow for Abby. Then Gibbs himself went down to see if Abby and McGee were still having trouble.

To his surprise, they hadn't found anything that answered their questions. Abby had finally opened the safe, discovering that in order to open it she needed both firepower and a fingerprint. After hours of fixing and manipulating the print they already had, the safe had given in.

All of them were shocked by what was in the safe. Normal college kids didn't have multiple guns stowed away in a safe. Nor did they have over $500 to stash away. The money itself was not a shocker, but the fact that he was in the middle of college and his little house was suffering with worn down furniture and little food. Why didn't he use the money in the safe? Didn't most kids spend all their money in one place?

The laptop they had found was worth at least two thousand. It had taken McGee and Abby's efforts combined to decode the first firewall that had popped up. Then, immediately after that, they got flooded with viruses and McGee had to take the battery out of their laptop just to save it. That was when had Gibbs showed up and told them to leave it alone until they found out who had made it.

Gibbs sat up when he saw Tony walking towards him with coffee. He gratefully took it off Tony's hands and began sipping it.

"Report," Gibbs told Tony, who had sat down at his desk.

Tony sighed and stretched until his shoulders popped. "Ducky said he's done examining the bodies. The daughter was shot from over a long distance and the colonel up close. He also tested the clothes and the blood samples gathered because McGee and Abby were too busy to do so. The clothes were covered in the colonel's blood and there were enough blood samples found at the scene for up to four people. None of the blood puddles found away from the bodies belonged to the colonel or his daughter."

Gibbs nodded his head and drank some more coffee. If he had to guess, this was going to be a long day. "Good job, Tony. You and Ziva can take a break, but between the two of you I want to get more of a confession out of this kid. Stuff like the details and exactly why he did it. We're going to keep hammering him until he asks for a phone call or a lawyer," Gibbs said as he got up from his chair.

"Somehow I doubt he would want to call, he really gives off this murderous vibe," Tony mumbled to himself as Gibbs walked by him. Then he yelled, "Will do, Boss!" after Gibbs, who was already in the elevator.

* * *

><p>Gibbs was heading down to talk to Abby again, wanting to see if they had any Intel on the fingerprints from the gun. It would be a lot easier if they could get this kid's personal file, if he had one that is, and find his weak spot.<p>

The elevator stopped on the first floor, and Gibbs stepped back to allow another person inside. He nodded towards the person that stepped in and pushed another button.

"Didn't think I'd see you here this early, Fornell," Gibbs said as took a drink from his coffee.

"Well, it wasn't my choice. I wouldn't be here at all if it weren't for my idiotic director."

"You talking about that new guy that came a few months ago? Yeah, I heard he was hard to get along with."

"He's been riding me and my team to fill out a bunch of documents. We haven't been on the field in quite some time. Which brings me to why I am here," Fornell flipped a switch. The lights went out and the elevator stilled.

Fornell slid a file out from under his coat and handed it to Gibbs. Gibbs raised an eyebrow and set his coffee on top of the control panel as he took the file.

"What you have there is a case we have been looking into for quite some time," Fornell said. "It's about a Colonel Lawson, you should know him. He went into witness protection after he got caught up in a terrorist attack, so now the terrorists are targeting him and his daughter. But Director Mueller suspects something larger."

Gibbs briefly read the file; mostly of the information was identical to what his team had. "It seems your director is on the right track." Gibbs closed the file and handed it back.

"Right track about what?"

"Something larger," Gibbs said as he picked up his coffee and turned the elevator back on.

"So you guys found something when you did the follow up meeting?"

"We found a whole lot of something."

"Gibbs, get to the point and tell me what I want to know," Fornell said.

Gibbs finished off his coffee and ignored the elevator doors beginning to open. "It means that the colonel is dead and we found a potential suspect."

Fornell stared at Gibbs and opened the file again. "Are you sure? His identity was fool proof. We made it ourselves."

"Well, your director thought otherwise," Gibbs said as the elevator chimed, the doors completely open.

"So you caught him?" Fornell asked as they got off the elevator and walked towards a cubicle. The windows to the right showed the sun just starting to peek up over the horizon.

"We think so," Gibbs said.

Tony was sleeping in his chair. His head was slumped in an uncomfortable position, but for the time being it didn't seem like he cared.

"Tony!" Gibbs yelled.

"What?" Tony's head snapped up and he almost fell out of the chair.

"Go grab Tom and meet us in MTAC."

Tony nodded and got up. "Will do."

Gibbs turned away and headed for the stairs, Fornell trailing behind him.

"What do you mean you _think _you've caught him?"

"Exactly what it sounds like, we're not so sure," Gibbs said.

"You should hand him over to us if he's too much trouble for you."

"Not a chance. We need some more time with him."

"How much time have you had?" They completed another ten or so steps up the flight of stairs.

"A few hours," Gibbs said before adding, "You need to contact Director Mueller. My team and I need more information on who we're dealing with."

"I'm not sure if he's in the office, he has a meeting soon. And he's a late guy if you know what I mean," Fornell said as they finished the few stairs that were left.

"Yeah, he sounds a lot like Tony. Except Tony is more reliable."

They got to the doors, which Gibbs opened with a code. Walking in, he nodded to the technicians standing about. He threw his empty coffee cup in the nearby trash bin as he told them, "Get in contact with Director Mueller from the FBI. Tell him it's NCIS Special Agent Gibbs and it's urgent."

"What do you want to know?" Fornell asked.

"Why he thought Colonel Lawson was at risk."

"I don't know about that. He didn't inform us of his findings."

"Exactly," Gibbs said. One of the technicians nodded and they turned towards the huge TV screen.

"Director Mueller, FBI," the technician told Gibbs.

"What is the meaning of this, Special Agent Jibbs? I'm getting ready to go into a very important meeting," a guy with white hair and wrinkles demanded.

"It's actually Gibbs," Gibbs corrected, and moved on. "I was informed by Fornell that you wanted to check on our findings concerning Colonel Lawson?"

"Yes. Why couldn't you tell him? He's right there." Director Mueller pointed a finger at Fornell from the screen.

"I wanted to ask you personally. Why?"

"Why? Because I said so, that is why. Are you questioning my authority?" Director Mueller spat.

"Not at all, Director," Fornell stepped in. He knew from past experience that Mueller could become pissed very easily.

"Look, just tell me what you found, and I will do the same," Gibbs told him.

"You found something? What is it?"

"I am not giving you any information unless you tell me why you needed an agent to contact us. What was so important that questioned your very own witness protection?"

"That information is classified. I also suggest you tell me what you figured out, or I will get in contact with Director Vance," Mueller said.

"Go ahead and contact him," Gibbs said. "Oh, and while you're at it, tell him the classified information. It must have been enough to get Colonel Lawson and his daughter killed."

"Who murdered them? Don't tell me NCIS let them get away; I knew I should have assigned an FBI team to do the check up," Mueller said angrily.

"We have him, don't worry. But I want to know what started the investigation in the first place."

"Look here, Jibbs." Mueller glared at him. "You will let me talk to the suspect or I will have you fired."

Gibbs glanced at Fornell, who just sighed. Gibbs was about to tell him some smart-ass remark when he was interrupted by the MTAC doors opening.

"Sorry, Boss," Tony said as he dragged the kid in. "He wanted to use the phone and demanded that he wasn't going anywhere without calling his friend. We didn't get any details though; he can be very persuasive. I told him he couldn't until we came to see what you thought about it, so here we are."

Gibbs nodded and turned back to Director Mueller, who was fuming.

"What the hell is this? I thought this was a secure meeting, not open to the riffraff. Jibbs, what kind of show are you trying to run here?"

"A more secure one compared the FBI, I can be sure to that," Gibbs said. "And by the way, it's Gibbs. I'll give you what you wanted so you can send the information over to Vance. I will get the information from him."

"What are you talking about? This child is your suspect?" Director Mueller started laughing. "Oh, you cannot possibly expect me to believe that this kid murdered the Colonel and his daughter. The FBI witness protection unit would have detained him instantly. There is no way that a mere kid could have picked them all off."

"Actually," the kid said, "You should train your witness protection units better because honestly, they're horrible. Anyone could have taken them down, even me."

"Listen here, you brat. I could have you thrown in jail for speaking to me like that. I suggest you adjust your tone when talking to someone of higher authority," Director Mueller said.

"You mean I shouldn't speak honestly? I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the truth hurts."

"Jibbs! Are you going to let him speak to me like this? I demand that you do something about it right away or I will fire you. And you too, Fornell, don't think you can slip away." Director Mueller's face was colored red.

Alex mumbled something that sounded like, "What an ass." However, no one could call him on it before he turned to Tony. "May I have my phone call now?"

Tony glanced at Gibbs, who briefly looked at the screen before nodding. Tony handed the kid his personal phone and Alex started dialing.

Mueller crossed his arms. "Jibbs, I have no clue why this child is in here. He cannot possibly have any information relating to the case."

"I'll explain as soon as you send Vance the exact information I requested. After all, it _is_NCIS's job to take care of the military while they're overseas. And for the last time, my name is Gibbs."

Director Mueller huffed and began typing on his computer. After a moment, his phone started to ring. He picked up the phone. "What?" he said as he moved the mouse, clicking a few things.

He listened through the phone before cutting the person off. "Well then, connect them to my line, I haven't got all day." He turned back to the people waiting on him. "Alright, I just sent it; now tell me how this child is a part of the case."

Before Gibbs could speak, Director Mueller started talking into the phone again. "Yes, I'll have you know you have interrupted a very important meeting. Now who are you and what do you want?"

_"This is Agent Rider ready to repor_t."

* * *

><p>AN: Thanks for reading! Hope you all understand if I cannot post on Sunday, though I will try my best! :)<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

AN: I am sooo sorry! This took longer than I expected. I had the chapter done on time, but my beta was on vacation. So with the lack of internet conection Dark Rook couldn't edit regularly. Also I don't trust my writing alone to be error free. Let me say WOW, 56 reviews that this story has collected. You guys are amazing, no lie's there. Hope you like this late chapter, happy reading! :D

* * *

><p><em>"This is Agent Rider ready to report."<em>

Everyone was silent in the MTAC room. No one knew what to say, especially with the sudden turn of events. It was finally not one person, but multiple who broke the silence at once.

"What!" Director Mueller said. He had shock, and anger, written on his face.

"No way," Ziva said as she sized him up, not thinking that it was possible.

"You're joking, right?" Tony questioned as he raised an eyebrow.

"Prove it," Fornell said as he glanced from the phone in Alex's hands and then back to Director Mueller.

Gibbs was the only one that was silent. He didn't really believe what this kid was saying, but it could be possible. It would be better than labelling him a murder, which they were currently leaning towards.

Alex sighed and rubbed his temple. He had a huge headache from his lack of sleep and the bottle of whiskey was still making his brain foggy. He snapped Tony's phone shut and tossed it towards the man, who caught it.

Alex shuffled so he was positioned next to Gibbs.

"If you want to question anybody, it should be one of your agents. They did a horrid job setting up the identities. Honestly, as I said before, it was likely to happen sooner or later." Alex looked up at Director Mueller, unfazed.

"This child is a criminal, Jibbs! I want him arrested right now," Director Mueller pointed his finger in Alex's direction, before continuing. "I have no clue who he is. He must have falsified himself as an agent. Not to mention that he's also stolen government information."

"And wasn't that last part a confession?" Tony asked about what Alex said, not quite sure himself.

"If I may say something, Director Mueller - " Alex began.

"What?" Director Mueller snarled. "Unless it is a full out confession or something relevant to this case, I want nothing to do with you."

"I assure you, the feeling is mutual. And you are in luck; what I'm about to say is directly tied to this case of yours." Alex nodded to Director Muellerbefore speaking up again. "How could I frame this as bluntly as possible? Oh yes. Director Mueller?" The director leaned forward in his seat, his face expanding on the screen. "You are a ditz."

Director Mueller opened his mouth in shock, then closed it. Only to open it again to yell, "Jibbs, I want him arrested for disrespecting authority!"

"That is exactly what I'm talking about," Alex told Gibbs from his right.

"Well, we should let him explain himself first. I mean about the whole 'ditz' thing," Gibbs told Director Mueller. "It may be important to know why he feels this way."

"Yes, please do explain," Fornell said. He wanted his boss to realize exactly how annoying and _wrong_ he was. He never had been able to tell his boss himself for fear of getting fired. Oh, he had to hear this.

"What's a 'ditz'?" Ziva asked Tony in a stage whisper.

"It means," Alex started. "That Director Mueller is an absent-minded person. How do I know, you ask? He either failed to recognize Gibbs' real name, or chose to ignore it. Multiple times. And really, it couldn't hurt him to brush up on his political skills and invest in better agents." Alex turned to Fornell, who was sending a glare his way. "No offense.

"Speaking of agents," Alex said, directing his attention back towards the monitor. "Mueller is also oblivious to the fact that I am one of his agents."

"That's one way to put it," Tony said to Ziva before an outbreak of yelling began.

"Jibbs! I will not stand for this sort of treatment from a mere child. I have never seen this kid before in my life. I can't imagine anyone would hire this brat, especially the FBI."

"Actually, I think the kid makes a good point," Gibbs told Director Mueller. "But if he's an agent is another matter entirely." Gibbs turned to Alex. "So, are you?"

Alex wanted to scoff at them and walk out, perhaps murmuring things along the lines of "I have better things to do", but he stayed. Knowing that Mueller hadn't even registered in his brain that he had hired him, it was evident that they needed all the help they could get.

Alex finally sighed before replying. "Unfortunately, yes. I was hired a few months ago, shortly after Director Mueller gained his new position."

"Can you prove it?" Fornell asked. He was at loss by the complexity of this situation, and vaguely intrigued. He had never heard any mention of this boy entering the FBI. He hadn't even seen him around so it was likely the kid was lying. Still, he was silently rooting for him for having the guts to verbally attack Director Mueller and make him look like a fool.

"That's a good question," Alex told him. He sighed once again, frustrated that he never had what he needed. "All right, I need to borrow your phone again," he turned to Tony, who looked at Gibbs. In response, Gibbs handed his phone to Alex, who took it and replied with a curt, "Thanks."

Alex dialed the number he knew by memory and waited for someone to pick up.

Ziva spoke up, wanting to hear this conversation herself. "Put it on speaker."

Alex hit the button for speaker. As soon as he did, the person on the other end of the line picked up.

_"You have reached the Royal and General Bank. How may I help you today?"_

"Hello, Stacy, this is Rider. I have a very important question pertaining to my security box."

"What is this? This is no proof," Director Mueller told Gibbs, who ignored him and focused on the phone call.

_"I am sorry Mr. Rider, but the security box is locked right now."_

"Of course it is," Alex mumbled.

_"Would you like me to report some numbers? We will get back to you as soon as it opens up."_

"No thanks. The next time it opens up, inform the guard that I have a private government matter I need to get sorted out."

_"Will do, . We will contact you as soon as something on your account comes up. Have a nice day." _

"Thanks, Stacey. I hope you have a nice day too."

Alex pinched the bridge of his nose as he hung up the phone and handed it back to Gibbs.

"That was nothing; that was no proof at all," Director Mueller yelled.

"Obviously, my boss wasn't in just now. I will have to contact someone else. Someone reliable. . . ." he broke off before someone else spoke up.

"You work at a bank?" Ziva asked, confused.

"Yes," Alex told them.

"I thought Director Mueller was your boss," Fornell said.

"Who was this friend of yours you were going to call?" Gibbs questioned, not giving Alex a chance to respond to Fornell. If this Rider person, if that was even his real name, he had lied about his name once, why not again? If he was talking willingly now, his team needed all the evidence they could get to help with the case.

"He is my boss," Alex told Fornell. "I have multiple people I work for." And he left it at that without going into any detail before answering Gibbs' question.

"Well, my friend was _supposed _to be Director Mueller here," Alex tilted his head slightly towards the monitor. "But he isn't being very helpful right now, so I decided to contact another boss, the one who directed me to the FBI in the first place. But since I cannot get a hold of him, I need to contact another alibi."

"Who is this alibi?" Ziva asked.

"One of the few people I trust."

"Can't Director Mueller just look up your name in their files?" Tony said to Alex.

Alex shook his head. "No, I'm not even sure if it would show up. I work under the table. If anything was going to show up at all, you would need a higher clearance."

"Are you saying that I, director of the FBI, do not have the clearance to look up a child's file?" Director Mueller asked with a huff.

"That is exactly what I'm saying." Alex turned away from Director Mueller's flustered face to Gibbs.

"You guys searched my place, right?"

"Yeah," Gibbs told him.

"Wait," Ziva interrupted as she turned to face Alex. "When you said you 'work under the table', you don't mean you're an assassin, do you?"

When those words surfaced, everyone in the room tensed, half-afraid to hear the answer.

Alex smiled at Ziva. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't do that kind of work," Alex said, before thinking, _Anymore._

Ziva nodded at Gibbs in apology; she had just needed to know for sure. Gibbs went back to trading answers with questions and so forth with Alex.

"Did you kill Colonel Lawson and his daughter?" Director Mueller asked, thinking that if Alex did then they could pin him on the spot. That way he wouldn't be able to embarrass himself any further with all the lies he kept telling.

Alex shook his head. "No, I didn't kill them. My superior will vouch for me and may even give me authorization to speak about my file. I'm assuming you guys picked up my computer?"

"I thought your _other _boss wasn't there?" Director Mueller questioned, hoping Alex would slip up.

"Yeah, he isn't. He's in a meeting. But there is another person who I trust and used to work for. I'm going to contact her."

"I'll let you have that computer if you tell me your name," Gibbs said.

"Agent Rider. Agent Alex Rider," Alex said as he stuck his hand out for Gibbs to shake.

"Agent Gibbs." Gibbs took his hand and shook it before nodding and taking a step back.

"Did you say 'Agent Alex Rider'?" One of the technicians asked.

"Yeah," Alex said warily, wondering if he was missing something.

"That name sounds familiar...you wouldn't happen to work for the CIA, would you?"

"Yeah, a few jobs here and there."

The technician nodded, "My son, Major Herold Wilson, wanted me to get in contact with you to give his regards."

"Really, it was no problem. Colonel Lawson did most of the work, but tell Herold he's welcome," Alex said as he nodded briefly to the father, and turned back towards Gibbs. "So, my computer. Where's it at?"

"We will show you momentarily," Gibbs told Alex, and looked over towards the technicians. "Connect Director Mueller to Forensics. We'll be down there in a minute."

They left MTAC before Director Mueller could say anything about it. As soon as the doors shut, Gibbs turned towards everyone else.

"Tony and Ziva, go talk to Vance and see if he got that file." Tony glanced at Alex before Gibbs gave him a glare. Then Tony and Ziva went off to talk to Director Vance while Alex went with Fornell and Gibbs.

* * *

><p>Tony leaned towards Ziva while he watched Alex descend the stairs with Gibbs and Fornell. "You think he did it?"<p>

"I am not so sure. Right now it could go either way. . . ." Ziva told him as they made their way to Director Vance's office.

"Are you serious? I say he did it. I mean, Director Mueller hasn't even heard of him," Tony said. "The fact that Fornell didn't back him up proves he isn't an agent."

"Yes, but that one technician did recognize the name 'Rider'," Ziva told him.

"That's probably his father or something. I think he did it and is trying to cover up the fact that he killed multiple people in cold blood by posing as an agent. Have you been in a room alone with him, Ziva? It was almost like when you get really pissed off. I bet he could have killed me and you guys would have never found the body in time before it started to decompose,"Tony shivered at the thought of his body in autopsy before they even found him.

Ziva smacked him over the head and glared at him, "You want me to get mad, Tony?"

"No," Tony mumbled as he rubbed the back of his head. "All I'm saying is that he's lying about everything. First off, he's a kid just entering college and he somehow has this killer look in his eyes already. I think he's mad at the world. If I was still in college I would be too. He either killed them by accident and is trying to cover it up or actually wanted to kill them, succeeded, and did a crappy job when it came to hiding the bodies in time."

"That does sound possible. If he is lying about everything, then does that mean Director Mueller isn't a 'ditz'?"

Tony laughed. "Nope, he got it right about Director Mueller. Though I don't know how he thought he could pass off as an agent. For one, Director Mueller doesn't even know him. How could he be working for the FBI without the director knowing about it? Plus, there's no way he could be an agent for all these agencies - the CIA _and_ the FBI. He has to be lying about that too."

"And the phone call," Ziva added. "Was nothing but a bank. If he can't get in contact with his advisor, or other boss, or supervisor, then we will have to arrest him."

Tony nodded. "See, he's not a reliable suspect. Come on, let's go get that file."

* * *

><p>Alex was currently at a disadvantage in an elevator. A very cramped elevator, where he was pressed against both Gibbs and Fornell. Once Tony and Ziva had left, Gibbs had escorted him to the elevator. Alex had thought the stairs would have been a much wiser decision, but he chose not to speak up.<p>

Alex hadn't been in a confined space in quite some time, and to say that the last time he had been in one had ended badly would have been an understatement. So when Gibbs flipped the switch, turning the florescent lights off and stilling the elevator, Alex immediately became aware of every possible movement the two strangers could make.

"Before we get down there and you contact this superior, we need to straighten a few things out," Gibbs said as he turned around to face Alex.

"Kay..." Alex trailed off as he made the smallest of movements to brush his back against the metal railing.

"And we need the truth," Fornell added.

Alex nodded and Fornell pulled the original file out and opened it.

"What's your name?" Fornell questioned.

"Alex Rider..." Alex said wearily.

"The wallet you were caring said your name was Tom Gerald, and you responded to it. Why did you lie about that?" Gibbs said.

"I was undercover," Alex replied curtly.

"But you were in possession of a gun at that gas station and had blood all over you. You ran from two agents too. Why didn't you speak up sooner? We could have arrested for the gun alone."

"I didn't realize you guys were NCIS, not until you gave me these." Alex pulled slightly on his issued sweatshirt.

Fornell scribbled something on the file. "Did you know Colonel Lawson and his daughter before that night?"

"Yes."

"So you had one on one contact with them before they died?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes."

"And you were the babysitter?"

Alex nodded, not liking where this was going.

"So that made it easy for you to, oh, I don't know, slip in one night and shoot the colonel while the daughter ran," Fornell said. "But you couldn't let her slip away, could you? No, you shot her dead in her own yard. And when people arrived at the scene you killed them, didn't you?"

Before Alex could retort, Gibbs stepped in.

"However, being the babysitter, either the cops or us would have pinned you for the crime on the spot. So you thought ahead and hid the bodies before anyone else could see. With the deed done, you thought you couldn't damage yourself more than you already had so you stole the colonel's savings and took his truck too while you were at it. That way you could get away scotch free and not have to deal with it anymore.

"However what I really want to know is why you told us that 'they deserved to die'?"

Fornell picked up quickly where Gibbs left off. "And what was 'it' anyway? Was 'it' drugs? Or perhaps something linking you to your falsification as an agent? Is that why you thought they deserved to die? Because somehow the colonel found out about you being a fake, so you just ended it for them."

"Did you really think we would go soft on you?" Gibbs asked. "Was it the young, college look? Or the fake agent credentials you tried to pass off as legitimate? Either way, we aren't falling for it, so why don't you just confess?"

Gibbs had no proof to suggest that this Alex kid was lying, but the odds were stacked against him because of those not thought out, stretched lies. They had to be lies. However, it was another matter entirely whether he killed them or not. That was what the interrogation was for and it was working out just the way he had planned it. Whatever Alex said next would set their next move in place and begin to illuminate whether he was guilty or innocent.

The whole world seemed to be against Gibbs and he could never be certain that the kid was actually the murderer. Every word he said made the stack sway to one side, before sending it jolting back to the other. Eventually, Gibbs hoped, they would push the stack hard enough to make it come crumbling down.

"I would like to talk to my supervisor before we take this conversation any further."

Gibbs nodded and flipped the switch back on. The elevator continued to descend closer and closer to Abby's lab.

* * *

><p>AN: Today is Friday, that's close to Sunday, and I don't have chapter six complete. But I will update some time, so keep a look out. I have some questions for you guys: Is Alex really an agent for the FBI? Did 'they <em>really<em> deserve to die'? Who will Alex contact? Will they respond? At the end of chapter six will the odds be for or against Alex? You guys have been great, hope you liked it. Review, answer one, or some of the questions! Thank you! :)


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Oh my gosh, I am soo sorry. I cannot even begin to tell you all how sorry I am for not updating sooner. And the fact is, I don't really have an excuse. I am working on multiple stories as well as legit working, plus school, and at the end of the day I just crash. But I will try to update at least once a month from now on. I apologize if that's too long, but that's the best I can do. On another note, you guys are AWESOME! Everyone of you, look at all the reviews this story has collected, courtesy of toi-meme. That means yourself in French...I think, if not let me know! Anywho, onto the story! Which was editted by DarkRook, who is sooo paitent and my non-writing times. :)

* * *

><p>Abby sat in front of her computer, shifting from side to side. Her chair squeaked with every movement. She sighed and lightly drummed her polished fingernails on the keyboard. Waiting was not her strong suit. Soon, the bullet scan would finish and let them know if the gun Gibbs had given her had been used to shoot the colonel and his daughter.<p>

Abby felt truly sorry for the colonel and his daughter. Not only did Mr. Lawson have to endure the war in Iraq, but he later got caught up in a nasty raid that involved some drug handlers. Though he was one of the few that got out alive and was honorably discharged, the torture he had to experience must have been awful. He had managed to put up a strong front, but the FBI still sent him back to America and put him in the witness protection program.

As soon as the colonel got to America, he began to spend time with his daughter; he hadn't seen her since he was sent on the mission. He swore to his wife, who was ill and bed-ridden that when he went into witness protection he would keep their daughter Heather safe.

So within the invisible safety net of the witness protection, they got sent across the country. With new identities and a new house, they lived their fake lives. However, their idyllic existence only lasted a few months before it came to a sudden, violent end. At least that's what McGee told had her.

Abby suddenly wondered why they were found. After all those months of successfully hiding away, what had managed to set off their murders? She didn't doubt the thoroughness of the FBI witness protection program, but it irked her that NCIS hadn't been the one to set up a different life for the Lawson family. The colonel had been overseas, after all, and he wasn't even a member of the FBI. Theoretically, NCIS should have been responsible for protecting the Lawsons.

But in the end, neither the FBI nor NCIS would have expected an attack so out of range, or so sudden. It seemed so out of character for any drug smugglers she had heard of. Why would they come for the colonel and his daughter some odd months after the incident happened?  
>The only plausible explanation would be that the colonel gave away information and Abby doubted that.<p>

Abby blinked at her screen, coming out of her momentary daze. The scan wasn't finished yet. She thought it would have been done by now; it had been searching for quite some time.

She sighed and got up, stretching as she did so. Glancing at the scan, it was impossible to tell when it would finish. Abby wondered how McGee was doing on the laptop. She had to hand it to whomever had created it; they were a genius.

Even Abby had tried to crack it, only to end up discouraged when it locked down on her time and time again. She eventually stepped aside and let McGee handle it, deciding to focus on the scan instead. Now she planned on leaving the bullet scan for later. Worst case scenario would be that it blew up and then at least something spectacular would happen in the lab today.

Abby walked into the main lab, her caffeine drink in her hand, to find McGee standing next to the laptop. He appeared to be talking to a man on the big screen. Upon closer inspection, she noticed the man was old, grey-haired, and furious. She went and stood next to McGee, taking a sip of her Caf-Pow.

"No, sir. I'm sorry he's not here," McGee told the man.

The man began to mumble words about contacting Director Vance, and suspension. McGee glanced at Abby and raised his eyebrow.

"Er, hello," Abby said as she set her Caf-Pow down. "Who were you looking for?"

"Gibbs," both McGee and the other man said at the same time.

"What?" a voice laced with irritation demanded.

Abby whirled around as Gibbs stalked into the lab, Fornell close behind.

Gibbs handed her another Caf-Pow and she eagerly took it. Gibbs walked past her and stood next to McGee, staring at the screen. Fornell nodded towards her, and she smiled at him as she finished off one of her caffeine drinks.

She turned around and almost ran into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said as she peered down to see a teenager standing before her. "Are you a witness?"

"Something like that," he told her.

"I'm Abby, by the way." She smiled at the teen.

"Alex," he told her.

"He's the primary suspect in the case concerning the colonel's murder," Fornell butted in.

Alex just glanced at him before shrugging. Abby couldn't hold in the small gasp that came from her mouth.

"This kid?" Abby shifted her eyes from Alex to Fornell, then back again. "Are you sure?"

"Is that your gun?" Fornell asked him, gesturing to the gun on the table a few feet away from them.

Alex nodded. "My laptop too."

Abby glanced at Gibbs who was in a conversation with Director Mueller.

"He said all he needed was his laptop, which is here in this room. Tony and Ziva went to get a file that may help this process," Gibbs told the director.

"Where is he then?" Director Mueller snapped.

"Here," Alex flipped two fingers in the air as he opened his laptop.

Abby looked to the place where he was standing mere moments ago to where Alex was currently standing. '_How did he get over there so fast?' _she thought, wondering if they really did have the right person.

"How are you going to contact this supervisor of yours?" Gibbs asked.

"Through a video chat," he told them as he glared at the sign-in page. "Did you guys try to open my computer ... multiple times?"

"Yes," McGee said sheepishly. "We wanted to get more information and figured the computer would be the fastest place to get it from."

Alex nodded, before typing in his password and hitting enter. "You guys brought my safe in too." he pointed to the corner where both the safe and the remains of what was insidelaid around it.

McGee nodded before Fornell spoke up. "Are all of these things yours?" he asked, referring to the safe and many guns around it.

"Yep," Alex told him before starting to type on the laptop.

"Who made that laptop, by the way?" Abby asked, wanting to get in contact with them and ask how they programmed the security system.

"A co-worker of mine."

Abby frowned at the simple answer, but decided that if the time came she would push the issue and obtain the information she wanted.

"Where is this so called 'supervisor'? I have been neglecting my meetings for far too long," Director Mueller said.

"I'm trying to get in contact with her now, but the attempted breaches of security have added a few precautionary measures I have to bypass." He continued to type, opening and closing multiple windows. "What was your meeting supposed to be about?"

"That is classified information. Get in contact with whomever you need to and move this process along."

"Don't tell me. Was it another meeting about funds? Those are the most boring meetings I have ever been to. Trust me when I tell you you're not missing a thing."

"You've been to those meetings? How..." Gibbs shook his head, knowing that only top officials could be present at said gatherings.

"I have certain connections," Alex said as he typed in a string of codes.

"With who? The CIA?" Fornell joked.

"Actually, yes. I've worked with them a few times and thus have contacts there, but I have more at where I primarily work."

"What do you do again?" McGee asked, because honestly he had no clue who this kid was, or how he was involved in the case.

"I work at a bank," he told them, paying more attention to the computer screen than McGee's reaction.

"If you can't get connected in the next five minutes you will be arrested for the murder of Colonel Lawson and his daughter," Director Mueller said, not even bothering to mask the irritation in his voice.

"All right, all right. Just give me another minute." Alex tuned out the crowd around him, trying his best not to make a mistake.

Fornell found himself looking over the contents of the safe, which consisted of numerous guns and a substantial amount of money. Bits of the safe were scattered across the table, mixed in with the piles of banks notes. His eye caught sight of a few leather holders. They looked like wallets, so he picked one up to examine it more closely. He blinked when he saw a picture of the kid with a different hair style and a name written beneath the picture. He was even more shocked when he came across European currency inside the wallet. Fornell pulled out a passport and was able to identify that it was from Germany, but couldn't figure anything else out, unfamiliar with the German language.

He found several more of these, all from different countries. He eventually found one with the name Alex Rider on it, which stated that he was from England. "So are you from England? Or are you just playing us with all of these fake identities?" Fornell asked him.

"Believe it or not, I'm actually from London. My main residence is in Chelsea."

"Do you have any other means of identification?" Gibbs asked as he flipped through the passport that Fornell handed him.

Alex shook his head and typed in something else. "No, I left my other ID's at home."

"Well, isn't that convenient?" Director Mueller said, sneering. "Where is your FBI card? You must have one if you're an actual agent."

"You never gave me one," Alex said. "This is my first mission for the FBI, after all."

"What about the CIA?" Gibbs asked.

"At home, with my actual wallet. I thought it rather stupid to carry around an ID that states you're working for a government agency," Alex told them and typed in the last few numbers needed for the feed to go through.

Fornell, McGee, and Gibbs all looked at each other casually. They all had separate thoughts at that moment, but all the ones they did have boiled down to one thing: the kid had a point.

"Are you done with whatever you've been doing?" Director Mueller asked.

"Do you need help?" Abby asked. Despite the fact that he was a suspect, she felt compelled to help him in any way she could.

"Thanks, Abby, but I got it handled. I appreciate the gesture," Alex said as he finally hit enter on his laptop.

Another screen popped up onto the big screen right next to Director Mueller. A women sat in a chair and she was filling out some forms. She finally glanced up, and would have jumped out of her seat if her field of work didn't constantly involve the unexpected.

"Oh, hello," she said as she set down her pen. "Who are all of you? And how did you get this private feed?"

Gibbs stepped forward. "I'm sorry, ma'am, for the unannounced interruption, but we had an emergency. My name is Special Agent Gibbs and I'm from NCIS. The person to your left is Director Mueller, head of the FBI. We were wondering if you could answer a few of our questions regarding a temporary suspect?"

"All right," she nodded. "Mrs. Jones, deputy director for MI5. May I ask who this suspect is and how they know me personally?"

Everyone in the room glanced at Alex. He sighed and stepped out and away from the table so she could see him.

"Hey, Mrs. Jones … long time no see, huh?" Alex said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Alex? Oh, that is you, how have you been?" Mrs. Jones asked, her face relaxing.

"I'm fine … considering the circumstances. Which are why I contacted you, by the way. I need help verifying that I am who I am."

"Oh no, did Alan mess something up? You would think that after I quit, he'd have came to his senses and left you alone. Do you want me to talk to him for you? I might be able to persuade him into-" Mrs. Jones got cut off.

"No, no," Alex broke in hysterically. "It actually wasn't Blunt's fault this time. After you left, Crawly took your place and Blunt even gave me a promotion. I am actually getting paid now and after a little talk from the prime minister I now receive vacation time when needed."

"That's great, Alex. I'm glad it all worked out for you, but I do wish Blunt could leave you alone..."

"Who are Blunt and Alan? You haven't given me anything to go off of, you're just talking as if you two are the best of friends. You're supposed to be his alibi, otherwise he will be arrested. I want answers and I want them now!" Director Mueller said.

"What did you do, Alex?" Mrs. Jones asked with a hint of sadness.

"Nothing much, just my job," he told her.

"He is a suspect in the killing of a colonel and his daughter," Gibbs interrupted.

Mrs. Jones sighed and popped a peppermint into her mouth. "Tell me you didn't do it, Alex."

"Okay. I didn't do it," Alex said seriously.

"That is no proof at all! He could be lying," Director Mueller told her.

"He is right, you know," Fornell said.

McGee found himself nodding. They did need more proof, and perhaps evidence that proved Alex innocent.

"What do you need to know about Alex now that will set back his arrest until we can get this sorted out?" Mrs. Jones asked.

"Well, first of all, is Alex Rider his actual name?" Gibbs asked.

Mrs. Jones nodded. "Yes it is. Alexander Rider. Next question."

"Does he work for both the CIA and FBI?" Fornell asked. He needed to know for sure, even though he suspected the claim was false.

"Yes to the CIA, I know he's worked for them before. " She glanced at Alex and he nodded. "As for the FBI … that's a new one I haven't heard of before."

"Yep, Joe redirected me to them a month or so ago. However, Director Mueller here doesn't seem to remember hiring me," Alex explained.

"That's because I would never hire a brat," Director Mueller told him.

Mrs. Jones glanced at Alex and he just shrugged. "Well, you would be surprised at how many government agencies have wanted Alex for his skills," Mrs. Jones told them.

"Does he work for MI5?" McGee asked. His curiosity was getting the best of him.

"No," Mrs. Jones replied curtly. "I would never let them, and thank goodness they don't want him. However, he does work for MI6." She looked at Alex. "What other information have you told them?"

"Not much," Alex replied. "I thought any proof would be classified."

"Classified," Director Mueller scoffed. "What could be withheld from me?"

"A lot of things. Like the fact that you hired me, for a start," Alex told him.

"Wait, so you work for MI6, the CIA, and the FBI?" Fornell asked.

"Yes," Alex said.

"How is that possible?" Gibbs asked Mrs. Jones.

"Honestly, I would love to tell you that it's a hoax. That multiple government agencies aren't using a teenager as an agent. But that is not that case in this situation."

"Who knows about this?" Gibbs questioned.

"Who doesn't know?" Alex retorted.

"He has a point," Mrs. Jones told Gibbs. "Alex has become very popular and well known among top ranking officials. He has completed more than fifteen missions abroad. Although we have tried to keep it confidential, some things leak out."

"Twenty-two, after this mission is over," Alex corrected.

"You have been busy, Alex," Mrs. Jones commented.

"I do what I can."

"Can you explain the missions?" Fornell asked, trying to wrap his mind around what he had just heard. He had been on more than one hundred cases while working for the FBI though he suspected these missions were simple things that happened rather quickly. He was still a kid, after all.

"Classified," both Mrs. Jones and Alex said at the same time.

"Well, what can you tell us?" Gibbs asked.

Alex was about to answer when the lab doors opened up. Ziva and Tony walked in, with a file tucked under Tony's arm.

"Hey, Boss," Tony said as he handed over the file. "Vance was pretty pissed when we came to see him instead of you.

Gibbs glanced at the file, looking for the differences between this one and the one that Fornell had earlier. It didn't take him long; there were a lot of them. He sighed and handed the file to Fornell. Turning to Director Mueller he said, "Which one is fake?"

"What are you talking about?" Director Mueller demanded. "Are you accusing me of making falsifying information?"

"Yes, that seems to be about right," Gibbs told him.

"May I see the file?" Alex asked as he stepped towards Fornell.

"That file is top secret! No mere child is allowed to see it," Director Mueller said.

"Right ..." Alex trailed off as he peered over Fornell's shoulder to read the file. "I'm sorry to say that most of this is wrong."

"Jibbs!" Director Mueller said.

Everyone ignored him and Mrs. Jones continued where he left off. "Are you positive, Alex?"

He looked up at Mrs. Jones and smiled. "Have I ever let you down before Mrs. Jones?"

She sighed, "No I suppose you haven't, Alex. Continue."

"Yes, well, it is a rather long story ..."

"I don't want to hear this! This … this story that by no means relates to the case," Director Mueller said, angered by this absurd waste of time.

"Actually, it does. What I'm about to tell you _is_ the case," Alex told him.

"You actually remember all of it?" Tony asked.

Alex shook his head, "No, not all of it. But I might be able to separate the facts from the lies."

Ziva nodded, "Can you start with the night that we found the colonel and his daughter?"

"Sure," Alex told them, rubbing his temples. He felt stress and another headache coming on from not sleeping properly these past few days.

"It's all right, Alex," Mrs. Jones said. "Take your time. We can listen."

Alex smiled at her, "All right, what do you want to know?"

* * *

><p>AN: *grins like an idiot* Bet this is what you've been waiting for huh? Well I will be happy to let you know if you have an idea, ANY idea at all, drop it in a review and I might use it. Although I have figured out what the next chapter is about, but don't let that discourage your brain. I know everyone thinks about a story after they read it, or in this case chapter, so give it some thought. If I do end up using it, I will thank you a million times, and I will put your name in the chapter it appears in. Does that sound fair? If not, tell me. Thank you guys so much for reading, it brings a smile to my face! :)<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Wow, am I late or what? I'm so sorry everyone, I've just been really busy. I also have a ton of last minute rap ups to do for school, which ends soon. Long story short the next chapter shouldn't be out until summer, sorry guys. But, I want to thank you too for all the reviews. I will try to respond to all the reviews I get on this chapter. As some of you may have realized that I did not do that on chapter six, and I'm sorry. Well, on to the story, thank Dark Rook too for being my beta! :)

* * *

><p><strong><strong>_"Yes, well, it is a rather long story ..."_

_"I don't want to hear this! This … this story that by no means relates to the case," Director Mueller said, angered by this absurd waste of time. _

_"Actually, it does. What I'm about to tell you is the case," Alex told him._

_"You actually remember all of it?" Tony asked._

_Alex shook his head, "No, not all of it. But I might be able to separate the facts from the lies."_

_Ziva nodded, "Can you start with the night that we found the colonel and his daughter?"_

_"Sure," Alex told them, rubbing his temples. He felt stress and another headache coming on from not sleeping properly these past few days._

_"It's all right, Alex," Mrs. Jones said. "Take your time. We can listen."_

_Alex smiled at her, "All right, what do you want to know?"_

**Chapter: Seven**

"Let's start at the beginning. You went to Crown College, correct?" Ziva said.

Gibb's team, with the addition of Fornell, was clustered around the table with the laptop, watching Alex expectantly. Alex sat on the stool in front of the computer and Abby had left to grab everyone a drink. Mrs. Jones and Director Mueller were present on the laptop's screen.

"Yeah. I take it you have my wallet?" Alex checked his back pocket out of habit before remembering that he wasn't even wearing his own jeans. He still had the sweat outfit issued by Tony.

Gibbs nodded and withdrew the wallet from his coat pocket. "I suppose you'll want this back." He tossed the wallet and Alex caught it absentmindedly.

"Thanks." Alex nodded and set it on the steel table in front of him, right next to his laptop.

"You enrolled him in college?" Mrs. Jones asked Director Mueller.

"I don't remember such thing. I didn't even hire him!"

Mrs. Jones opened her mouth to retort but Alex stopped her. "It's all right, Mrs. Jones. Whether he remembers or not, it was interesting seeing what college was like."

"How old are you?" Tony asked.

Alex glanced at Mrs. Jones, and she thought for a moment, "Tell them what you wish, Alex; this meeting is off record anyhow."

Alex nodded and turned to Tony. "I'm a minor, if that narrows it down."

McGee looked at Gibbs while his boss asked the next question. "You didn't have a license in the wallet. Are you able to drive legally?"

"I have an MI6 issued driver's license, though that's at home in England with everything else important. I only have an American driver's license here," Alex told him. "But yes, I am able to drive."

"Can I see your ID? I heard they look cool and have something special covering them," Tony said.

Gibbs smacked the back of his head and told him, "He left it back in London, for safe keeping."

Tony nodded and rubbed the back of his head, thinking that made the sense, especially if he didn't want to cause an uproar were he to be questioned. Though he had to hand it to the kid, he must be a good driver if he could handle a manual at whatever age he was.

"What happened to the colonel and his daughter already! You killed them didn't you?" Director Mueller interjected.

"No, I didn't kill them. But I could have stopped it . . ."

"Well then, why didn't you? This is causing mountain of problems and it's all your fault," Director Mueller told him, scowling.

"I came a little too late. Anyway, the day it happened, Mr. Lawson called me to ask if I would be able to work that night. I needed the money, so I said yes."

"You were a babysitter, right?" Fornell asked.

"Yep, that's how I earned my income since school was such a big priority and someone _forgot_to pay me up front like I had asked," Alex told him as he sent a look towards Director Mueller.

"You get paid up front?" McGee questioned. He assumed that each mission came with its own, varying, profit, depending on rank and difficulty.

"Not usually, but since I had to pay for my own food and the college classes I had signed up for, the bills really stacked up. So I figured that since I had to keep an eye on the colonel and his daughter anyway, I might as well get paid for it."

"How did you get that laptop and flat screen if you were paying your own way?" McGee asked.

"Oh, those were made by the gadget specialist at MI6," Alex told him.

"So your assignment was to watch the colonel and his daughter?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes, that was my mission. Apparently the FBI wasn't confident in their own protection system. I was supposed to keep an eye on them 24/7; that's why I lived a few houses down."

"What happened after he called you?" Tony questioned.

"I went over there, obviously. It was about five in the evening. Heather had homework, so I helped her with that and then Nick had some calls to make so he sent us outside," Alex told them.

"Who is this 'Heather'?" Director Mueller demanded.

Alex repressed a sigh, and Fornell answered for him. "It says in the file that Heather is the colonel's daughter. The man Alex refers to as Nick is the colonel."

"Thanks," Alex commented before continuing. "As I was saying, Heather and I headed outside. We played jump rope until it got dark. Heather didn't want to go in after that so we played hide and seek . . ." Alex shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "I should have made her go in; then I might have been able to stop it."

"What happened next?" Ziva asked, her curiosity showing.

"The bad guys showed up," Tony guessed. "Right?"

"Yeah. It was as if they came out of nowhere. They must have been watching the house for quite some time. Anyway, right before they showed up it was Heather's turn to be the seeker. I hid behind a tree. I should have heard them a block away, but they had everything planned out."

"How many were there?" Mrs. Jones asked.

"There were seven of them," Alex told her. "As I said before, I was hiding when they came -"

"So you failed your job as an agent!" Director Mueller barked.

"Yeah, that may be," Alex commented. "However, there isn't anything I can do about there now, is there? And I did everything I in my power to stop them when it happened."

"Continue," Gibbs broke in.

"Five of them went after Heather. I guess they thought it was Nick outside, not me. She didn't even scream when she was shot . . . she probably didn't see them coming. I knew something was up as soon as they got close, but I was too late. I soon as I gave up my hiding place, they shot her. Then they saw me and I took out my gun -"

"I would never give a child a gun! You probably missed them. Thank God no one else was in the area. I -"

Mrs. Jones shot a look at Director Mueller, effectively silencing him. "Did the FBI give you the gun, Alex?"

"No."

"The FBI has a strict policy on guns," Fornell said. "If you can't pass the test, you are not allowed a weapon."

"I didn't receive a gun from the FBI, but I have one from the CIA. I assure you at least one of those guns that you found in the safe is from Joe. I also have one from Smithers himself and that was the one I used that night."

"Who are Joe and and Smithers?" Tony asked.

"Joe is the director of the CIA. I suppose you could say he's one of my bosses. Smithers, on the other hand, is a coworker of mine. He is the weapons and gadget specialist I previously mentioned," Alex filled in.

"So Smithers created your laptop?" McGee asked. He knew that if this guy did, he needed find some way to contact him.

"Yes," Alex replied.

"Do you think I could talk to him about the security system?"

Alex thought for a second. "It might be difficult to contact him . . . he has a job to do after all. But I could put in a word for you, would that be okay?"

McGee nodded.

Gibbs decide to resume the line of questioning. "You seem to have a pretty close relationship with the director of CIA. Do you know him personally?"

"Joe? Oh, sorry I just got so used to it. He would actually correct me if I called him anything other than that. I haven't known him too long; I knew Mrs. Jones before I met him."

Mrs. Jones nodded. "That is true, he didn't meet the director until his third mission."

"How many missions have you've been on?" Ziva asked.

"That is classified. Sorry," Alex told her.

"What happened after you pulled out your gun?" Gibbs questioned.

"Well, since Heather was dead, I opened fire -"

"I don't know why anyone would give a child a gun!" Director Mueller said. "You shot someone, didn't you? I bet it feels horrible and now you'll have that hanging over your head for the rest of your life. You should be disgusted with yourself. Having somebody's blood on your hands is no easy matter."

Tony glanced at Alex, knowing that Director Mueller was at least partially right. The amount of blood he had seen on the kid when they had first met was nauseating. But he understood that not only was it part of the job, Alex had done it to stay alive. He just wished someone so young didn't have to be filling in for him and his teammates.

Mrs. Jones glared at Director Mueller. "Alex knew that there were going to be consequences when accepting an assignment that required a 24/7 watch on a family in witness protection." She shifted her gaze to Alex. "Did you get injured?"

He pursed his lips before speaking up. "Well, after I shot two of the attackers another one snuck up and fired at me. I managed to hide behind the tree just in time though, so it nicked my arm."

"Did you get that checked out?" she asked, concerned.

"Well, you see I was busy with the whole surprise attack. Then these NCIS agents showed up, and one thing lead to another and now we're here. . . . So no, I haven't had time to check it out," Alex told her, shrugging.

"You got shot and didn't get it checked out?" Fornell asked.

"Uh, yeah?"

"You'd better not have tainted the crime scene. If you did the blood samples will be all screwed up," Director Mueller told him.

"I assure you I did not 'taint' your crime scene. . . . Well perhaps near the colonel's body, but that was really uneventful," Alex said.

"We'll get him checked out by our doctor," Gibbs told Mrs. Jones, before speaking to Alex. "Why would the colonel be a problem?"

"Where do you think all the blood came from? You really think I can't hold my own in a gunfight?"

"Considering you got shot? Then, no. I honestly have no clue why anyone would hire a child -" Director Mueller was cut off by Mrs. Jones. "Director Mueller? Would you like to have a private conversation with the prime minister to verify that Alex is a reliable agent? I could easily set that up for you seeing as anything pertaining Alex is almost directly related to him," Mrs. Jones told him.

"That would be excellent. I will talk to him after the meeting -"

"The prime minister decides on whether there will be a meeting, as well as what time it will be at. I said I would ask him, that does not mean he will agree to my request. You will receive a call at a later date if he does agree," she said.

Alex had to hide a smile as Gibbs asked him, "So, what happened to the colonel?"

"Well, after I took out the first five, I went inside the house. I found one of the assassins in the living room, talking to Nick. The moment he took out his gun, I fired at him. But the timing was off, his bullet imbedded itself into Nick's heart a few moments before mine hit his," Alex told them.

"Wait, there were only three blood stains outside. One belonged to Heather, then another two. . . . What happened to the three others? I highly doubt they would run away from a job if they hated the colonel this much," Ziva said.

"How many bodies did you find at the scene?" Alex asked, confused.

McGee spoke up. "Two."

Alex nodded. "The colonel and his daughter . . ."

"What happened to the, what, seven other bodies?" Tony asked.

Alex shrugged and glanced at Gibbs. "I have no clue, though I know for sure I killed them all before leaving. There was also another guy towards the back of the house attempting to break into the safe, he never knew what hit him."

"Wait, so you killed four people how exactly? Strangling them? Why didn't you use your gun?" Fornell questioned.

"My gun jammed after I shot the guy who killed the colonel. And, no I didn't strangle them, I don't become that personal. I prefer a swift blow to the back of the head."

"And then you went to the gas station to what? Make a big get away?" Tony asked.

"But he left all of his things at his house," Ziva said.

"I just needed a moment to gather myself, if you know what I mean," Alex told them.

"So that's what the whiskey was for? It's your coping method?" Gibbs said.

"In a way. However, that was actually my first -"

"You drank alcohol? You're a minor, _and_you did it while on the job!" Director Mueller said.

Mrs. Jones frowned in disappointment.

"So all the blood came from the colonel?" Tony asked, remembering the soaked clothes the teen had been wearing just a short while ago.

"Unfortunately, yes. I tried to stop the bleeding, but the bullet had hit an artery. He asked about Heather as he died . . . I couldn't tell him before he went, though I'm not sure I wanted to tell him."

"That's when you took the colonel's car then?" McGee asked.

"Yeah, which brings me to my next question." He glanced at Gibbs and Tony. "When you guys picked me up, did you happen to keep the car keys?"

"No . . ." Tony said, confused.

"We left them there. I gave the worker instructions to call a tow truck to take it to the nearest car shop. Why, was there something in the car?" Gibbs said.

"Fuck," Alex mumbled, before speaking up. "No, it's not what's in the car. It's the car keys."

"So? The colonel's dead, he won't need them anymore," Director Mueller said.

"If the attackers are dead and we know that Alex is responsible, does that mean this case is closed?" Ziva asked.

Alex shook his head. "No, this case is far from over. They never wanted the colonel in the first place. Just what he gathered while he was overseas."

"So, Alex, do you know where he kept the information? In the safe someone was trying to break into?" Mrs. Jones asked.

"That's what you would think, but no. He printed out and kept all the information he had acquired in his wife's trust. Which happens to be connected to one of the keys on that keychain you just gave away," Alex told them.

The lab doors slid open and Abby walked in with a few bags. "Hey guys, sorry it took so long. You wouldn't believe that line." She set the bags down on the table and immediately handed Gibbs a coffee. "Why the long faces?" she asked, staring at everyone's frustrated or pissed expressions.

"Just another setback," Tony said as he grabbed two coffees. He took a sipped one and passed the other to Ziva.

"You had better get that key back, otherwise it's your head on the line. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend," Director Mueller told Alex before logging off.

Mrs. Jones smiled at Alex before sighing. "Well, if you don't need me anymore, I have to get back to work. I shall notify the prime minister, Joe, and Alan of your current situation. If you need any more assistance, I'm here for you. Good luck, Alex," she said. The screen went blank.

"So, how much of this file is incomplete?" Fornell asked as he went over the occurrences of that night and tried to match things up.

Alex opened his mouth to tell him, but a loud beeping cut him off.

"Oh, the scan is finished," Abby said as she ran over to the computer where she was running the fingerprint scan. She came back out with a puzzled look on her face. Typing in a few letters on the computer next to McGee, she connected it to the big screen.

"It says we don't have the authorization," she told Gibbs. "Which is weird because I thought we fixed that last time . . ."

"Sorry about that. I said before I wasn't sure if my file would come up. I guess it has, but it's still classified."

"But . . . you? How?" she asked.

Alex sighed and rolled his shoulders.

"How about we have some lunch while we finish talk about what we're going to do next? Then we'll get that wound checked out," Gibbs said, handing Alex a coffee.

Alex smiled and took it. "Lunch sounds great right about now."

* * *

><p>AN: Thanks for reading everyone! Please send a review my way! :)<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

AN: How do I even put this...I apologize? I know two won't cover it, but I don't feel the need to type 'I apologize' fifty times. On another note, thank you! Wow, I never thought this story would gain 100 reviews, well it has and it's still going up! I want to thank not only yashendra2797 (who was my 100th reviewer) but everyone who read and reviewed, you all bring smiles to my face! :)

Two reviewers caught that in the last chapter the number of missions were said, as well as defined as classified. The reason being is the first time, Jones asked Alex, and he told her 22. That was with McGee, Fornell, and Gibbs. Tony and Ziva weren't in the room yet, so when they showed up, and it got asked again, Alex just confirmed classified, as it would be a danger of having so many people know...does that make sense at all?

I also want to thank Dark Rook, for being my beta and pointing out my many mistakes. This chapter wouldn't be as good, if fact I'm sure it's be horrid, if he hadn't edited it. So, thanks Dark Rook, and all my reviewers. Couldn't have gotten this far without you! :)

* * *

><p>Gibbs's team lounged in the bullpen, scarfing down the lunch that Abby had graciously gotten them. As Ziva threw her salad box in the trash underneath her desk, she turned towards Gibbs.<p>

"What are we going to do now?" she asked him.

"Finish eating?" Tony broke in as he took a bite out of his pizza slice.

"Nope," Gibbs told him, before proceeding to answer Ziva. "You two are going to Vance's office to tell him that the file is a fake. Tell him to talk to Director Mueller, he should know since he keeps withholding information that can help us with this case."

He stood up and looked down at Alex, who was sitting in the space between he and Ziva's desks. "You're coming with me."

He was walking out of the bullpen when McGee spoke up.

"What do you want me to do, boss?"

"Find out more about the colonel's wife," he said.

Alex got up silently and followed Gibbs to the elevator with two coffees in hand. "You won't really give away the case, will you? If you do, those terrorists will get away scot-free."

Gibbs took one of the coffees and pressed the down button on the elevator. "Of course I won't - this was supposed to be NCIS's case from the beginning. Did Mueller say anything about the case, or why he thought the colonel was in danger?"

Alex shook his head. "No, Mueller never talked about the case; then again, I only met him once before now. It was back when I first started the case - he wasn't much help, I recall. He just yelled at me to get out of his office. That was when I decided to take the liberty of stealing the informant's file and get down to business on my own."

"So, after Mueller hired you . . . or, rather, talked . . . you just snatched the file?" Gibbs asked as the elevator slowed to a gentle stop.

"Yes," Alex confirmed. "He wasn't protecting Nick, and someone had to do it. He obviously felt concerned only when he thought that there was something larger going on. The problem is that he was correct, and failed to mention his findings to anyone who mattered."  
>Gibbs nodded, stepping off the elevator and into the autopsy. He turned to Alex while taking a swig of his coffee, pointing at one of the empty tables near the door. At Alex's weary look, he sighed. "Go sit down; we'll look at your injury in a second, and I promise Ducky won't cut you up."<p>

As Alex did as asked, Gibbs turned on his heel and walked through the door to see Ducky examining a few x-rays rather intently.

"Ahh, Jethro, I was wondering when you were going to come down to join me," Ducky said, looking up from his x-rays.

"We had a few pressing matters to attend to first," Gibbs told him, then made a sweeping gesture towards to door so Ducky could see they had another visitor.

"Who might you be, young lad?" Ducky walked over and held out his hand for a more formal greeting.

"Alex. Uh, Ducky . . . you have a little something . . ." Alex trailed off, pointedly staring at Ducky's gloved hand, which was covered in blood.

"Oh! I'm terribly sorry, nevermind me." Ducky rapidly withdrew his proffered hand, turning his attention to Gibbs. "Would you mind covering these up for me, Jethro," he said, indicating the the bodies three tablets down.

"No, it's fine," Alex interrupted. "I've seen them before."

"Seen what? Dead bodies in general, or these ones in particular?" Ducky asked, now confused as to why the boy was here in the first place.

"Both," Alex replied.

"Just where did you find this young man?" Ducky asked Gibbs.

"At a gas station a few blocks away from the colonel's house. He was with the colonel and his daughter last night, when they were killed," Gibbs explained.

"Oh, well I'm sorry for that. Did you know them well?"

"About as well as one can get to know a person by spending most of the last two months with them," Alex said. "I considered myself pretty close to both of them."

"Are you going to show him your injury, Alex? It might get worse without medical attention."

Alex sighed as he looked over at Gibbs, who was standing behind Ducky. "Are you sure? The scratch isn't that bad; it'll heal . . . eventually."

Gibbs shook his head and downed the rest of his coffee. "Come on. Mrs. Jones was obviously worried about you, so let Ducky check it out. He won't hurt you."

"Scout's honor," Ducky quipped as he took off his bloody gloves and threw them away. "Now, what happened?"

Alex put his arms through the sweat shirt. "I got shot."

"You what? Jethro, why didn't you take him to the hospital?"

"There was nothing I could do at the moment. I didn't even realize it until his . . . associate brought it up. Just check his shoulder out and give him some medicine. Then you can give me more details on the bodies."

"You, my boy, need to be more careful," Ducky said as he turned to inspect Alex. "What were you doing at the colonel's house anyway?"

Alex glanced at Gibbs and got a short nod in return. "I don't know how much I can tell you, but I was Heather's babysitter. Things happened so fast, I failed to do anything for them."

"Well, in my line of work you come to the realization that most things happen for a reason. You, probably couldn't have done anything to change what happened."

"Thanks, I guess," he said. "Promise you won't cut me open?"

"I promise, my boy. Now let's look at that wound," Ducky said. Alex slowly took off the NCIS issued sweatshirt, revealing the Kevlar shirt with multiple bullets in it.

Ducky looked at his chest, but before he could say anything, Gibbs interrupted. "I thought you said you got shot in the shoulder?" he said as his eyes traveled from the bullet stuck in the shirt near his shoulder to the rest of the bullets spread about his front side.

"I did . . . that was the first shot. I didn't want Mrs. Jones worrying. Though it," he said, lightly touching his shoulder. "Was probably the worst. The sleeves aren't as thick as the material in the front, where it matters."

"I would say you are quite lucky, my friend," Ducky said as his eyes roamed over the numerous bullets stuck in his shirt. "Though I don't understand how your sweatshirt that I received a while ago was free of bullet holes - it was only covered in blood, which further analysis proved was the colonel's."

"I had my jacket open and this exposed." He pulled at the fabric of the Kevlar. "It was lucky I decided to put it on today of all days."

"What made you put it on?" Gibbs asked.

"I don't know, it was just a feeling," he told them, shrugging his good shoulder.

"Well, how about you take that off so I can observe the damage?" Ducky asked as he brought over a tray of equipment.

"I . . . everything you see stays in this room. Understand that most of my life is classified, as well as my medical history. If it gets leaked to the wrong people then I can't say I didn't warn you."

"You have my word that neither one of us will reveal anything. You can trust us, Alex, as well as the rest of my team," Gibbs said. He was glad when Alex, though reluctant, took off the shirt that had saved his life.

Alex reddened and averted his gaze from the two people suddenly transfixed on his chest. After a few moments, Ducky broke the silence. "My boy, what have you gotten yourself into?" he said as he took in the accumulation of bruises and scars, some of which had to be years old. His gaze moved to the oldest visible wound, a faint white line above his heart.

"How could the government do this?" Gibbs asked as he stepped closer, the puddle of coffee at the bottom of his cup forgotten.

Before Alex could answer, Ducky spoke up. "Government? You mean . . . the government is responsible for sending this child into a gunfight, into the battlefield?"

"If you want to get specific, I was the one that took this case. I had met Nick before, overseas on another mission where he had gotten attacked. We became acquaintances of a sort, and before he left for the States he said we should meet again. I never thought I would end up babysitting his daughter and failing to save his life." Alex paused. "But no matter what I'm glad I got to spend some time with him outside of his work, even if it was my job to keep an eye on him."

"So you knew the colonel was going to get into witness protection and therefore went to the FBI to be the one to look after him?" Gibbs asked.

"No, I actually hadn't thought about it until I saw his file under the witness protection section of the FBI archives. I didn't pay the file much thought though and went on with my life when Joe - deputy director of the Covert Actions Division of the CIA - asked me if I wanted an assignment concerning the protection of one of the soldiers that participated in the last mission I was on. I agreed, not wanting to let him down, and became on loan to the FBI. In hindsight, I should have seen the attack coming. The assassins weren't too happy when Nick and I found out what they were doing overseas, so you can only imagine how pissed they were when they actually found him."

"Wait, so you know what Nick found overseas?" Gibbs asked.

"Well, yeah I worked with him, so I know the basics -" Alex stopped talking when the autopsy doors opened.

"Sorry that I'm late, Doctor Mallard. You know the oddest thing happened; my alarm clock didn't go off. But, you see, I had set it as soon as I got home last night so that was - Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were working on someone," Palmer said.

Alex shivered, the "working on someone" comment reminding him that he was in an autopsy room, where most visitors got cut open.

"Thank you, Palmer, for that little observation. Now do come in, and make sure to wash your hands," Ducky said.

"You do realize, that nothing - not a thing - about what you saw can be talked about? At all, ever," Alex said seriously.

"Um, yeah, sure," Palmer said, glancing at Ducky. "Just what is this all about?"

"Nothing," Alex said, then turned to Ducky. "Continue."

"Well, my lad, we need to get that bullet out of you so I can inspect the damage. I do believe I have some sheers around here somewhere . . . " Ducky said, pulling on a pair of gloves and grabbing a pair of intramural scissors. He told Palmer to go grab him a spoon before closing in on his patient.

"Tell me if it hurts, I'm not used to working with breathing victims."

"Oh, that makes me feel so much better," Alex remarked as they got to work on his shoulder.

* * *

><p>Tony practically leapt down the stairs in an effort to keep up with Vance, who was determined to find Gibbs. Vance had completely ignored Tony's protests and claims that he had no idea where Gibbs had walked off to. He was pissed and needed someone to blame for this blatant set-up. Ziva followed at her own pace.<p>

Vance scowled while he stood in front of the desolate bullpen, solely occupied by McGee. "Agent McGee, where is Gibbs?"

"I - I'm not sure, sir. He left in the elevator with Alex, so he either went to autopsy, or back down to see Abby. Is this about Mrs. Lawson? If so, then I still need more time. She was quite difficult to track, you think she would be easy and all, but being the colonel's wife she also got put into witness protection. It's odd that she was separated from them, yet the colonel had a - "

"McGee," Vance said, halting him mid-rant. "I don't care about this 'Mrs. Lawson.' I need to know where Gibbs is, so I can chew him out for not informing me - or better yet, taking on a whole case without my permission!" He glared at Tony and Ziva. "And I would like you two to explain how you knew that there was something up with the files and why Gibbs demanded them in the first place."

"Well, the whole thing actually leads to Alex if you really think about it . . ." Ziva supplied.

"Who is this 'Alex' person? Please don't tell me he is a witness that Gibbs is just leading around the whole office?" Vance asked.

Tony opened his mouth to tell him that he was only half-right. Alex walked a fine line between witness and suspect, with savior someone thrown into the mix as well. However, he never got the chance. Just then, the elevator dinged open and Gibbs and Alex walked out.

"Yeah, it's pretty complicated," Alex was saying as they made their way over. "I was there when everything went down, and I still don't understand it. I need to analyze the data - "

"Gibbs!" Vance yelled, and McGee, sitting right next to him, jumped.

"Yes?" he asked, throwing his now empty coffee cup in the trash as he came and sat at his desk, nonchalantly swiveling his chair to face Vance.

"Why did you suddenly jump into this case? You didn't even ask me if - "

"I wasn't aware that I needed your permission to follow a gut feeling, which proved to be well-founded once we found out that the file we received from the FBI was a fake. What was I supposed to do, ignore it?"

"Yes! The colonel is dead, and I don't need you showing a witness around when you could be finding out why the file is fake and who the murderer is. Unless this kid knows who that is?"

Tony smirked, stifling a laugh but ended up coughing when Ziva elbowed him. Vance sent a confused look his way, then glanced back at Gibbs. "Well?"

"Well what? Alex is really none of your concern. He is here helping us with the case; right now he's working on remembering what the killers looked like and we'll take it from there. As of this moment, all I can say is that the file is fake, and neither one of us knows why," Gibbs said.

"You'd better get to work on that. You took on this case; now you have to finish it. Just make sure this kid's parents consent before you question him. Minor or not, we don't want to a harassment suit on our hands. Speaking of which, please tell me you didn't piss off the new director of the FBI?"

Gibbs shrugged. "It's not my fault the director went about everything the wrong way. The FBI shouldn't have touched the colonel after he got back."

Vance huffed. "If I get a call from him, it's on you. Now get to work, and keep me informed from now on!" He stalked away with a scowl on his face.

The team silently watched him go before turning to Gibbs expectantly. Gibbs merely raised an eyebrow at them.

Alex soon broke the silence. "So that was your director?"

"Yep," Tony said.

Alex nodded. "Cool." He mentally started comparing the directors of different government agencies. He knew a total of four, and they were all quite different but in a strange way, somehow the same.

* * *

><p>AN: There you have it folks, the eighth chapter! I am working on the ninth chapter now, so I hope it gets out faster. Thank you for all the reviews, they really are motivation! :)<p> 


End file.
